


Hesitation

by CouchCoach



Category: Raven's Home (TV), That's So Raven
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2020-07-29 06:30:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20077696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CouchCoach/pseuds/CouchCoach
Summary: Chelsea and Levi moved in to Raven's because they were struggling after Chelsea's divorce. As of late, Raven hasn't been as supportive of her best friend as she should be and is starting to realize it. However, Raven is also starting to realize something else when it comes to her best friend...and it scares her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only. **

**AN: This story picks up from Raven's Home Season 3 Episode 6, but only for the first few lines. From there it will more than likely not follow the current storyline on Raven's Home as I intend to make this a Chrave/Femslash fic. The rating is currently mature (M). Although the story is not there yet, as this will be a slow burn, it will eventually get there. Reason for the slow burn is I want it to be realistic. Raven and Chelsea have been friends for a long time, so it'll take time for them to explore their new found feelings for each other to become something more throughout this fic. **

_ **Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.** _

* * *

_"...I was just so focused on defending my rep, I guess I got carried away." Booker shrugged. _

_"Well, I'm sorry that they hurt your feelings Booker, but when you focus so much on what you want to do and stop listening to the people who love you, that's when…" Raven looked around the boys' room. _

_"...teamwork just crumbles…this room is fantastic." She finally noticed the changes made by Chelsea. _

_"You're just like your mother, aren't you?" Raven asked with slight guilt and sadness in her voice. _

_Booker quickly picked up on the change in his mother, "What's wrong, ma?" _

_"I just need to listen to Chelsea more, that's all."_

"Rae?" Chelsea's voice rang through the living room, bringing Raven out of the trance she was in.

"Are you alright?" Chelsea asked noticing her best friend had been a little out of it all evening since dinner.

Raven softly smiled, "Yeah, was just thinking."

"Bout' what?" Chelsea asked as she came and sat next to Raven.

_About you._ Raven thought.

The redhead patted her best friend's thigh encouraging the brunette to continue.

Raven's breath hitched at the action. Something that she found was happening more often whenever Chelsea got close to her.

"I…" Raven trailed off.

Chelsea furrowed her eyebrows at her friend's hesitation.

"It's nothing Chels. Just tired. You ready for bed?"

Chelsea nodded in agreement. It had been a long day.

Chelsea was the first to get up and held out her hand for Raven. The brunette found herself smiling again as she took it and they headed towards their bedroom.

Chelsea excused herself to go put on her pajamas and brush her teeth. Raven sat on the bottom bunk and went back to having her mind's wheels turn, remembering how Chelsea had always been like that. Caring, loving, supportive. No matter what the circumstances, Chelsea would always find something positive in every situation.

It was the little things Chelsea did that Raven had started to take for granted. The big things too. Heck, as of late, everything Chelsea did Raven took for granted. Practically a lifetime of always having Chelsea's love and support had become something Raven expected and somewhere along the way she started to forget to be appreciative of it.

Sure, she did things for Chelsea too, but they were friends...family. Family takes care of family. Yet somehow Raven had taken every opportunity to remind Chelsea of how much she was helping and doing for her. Maybe it was that Raven had only recently started to get used to being on her own after her divorce, but no matter what, money was always tight. She worried that when Chelsea and Levi sought refuge and reassurance in her, she wasn't going to be able to provide it, but instead of maturely conveying that to Chelsea, she had thrown cheap shots...and Chelsea just took it with grace.

Chelsea walked back into the room and found Raven daydreaming yet again. She was going to question her once again, but thought better of it as it seemed Raven was working through something and wasn't ready to discuss it.

"Rae?" Chelsea caught Raven's attention. 

"Bathroom's all free for ya."

Raven thanked Chelsea and headed towards the bathroom to go through her nightly routine. A few minutes later she was back in their room, lying on the bottom bunk.

"The boys' room looks great, Chels." She spoke. Although her voice was low, against the background of the now dark and quiet apartment, it carried heavily.

"Thanks, Rae." Came the mumbled reply.

Raven could tell her best friend was probably a few minutes away from nodding off.

"Chels I…" Raven trailed off again for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight.

"Is it the storm?" Chelsea asked as she stifled a yawn.

"Huh?" Raven asked.

Chelsea giggled, sounding more awake now, "The storm?" She asked as she peeked her head from the top bunk down towards Raven's.

Raven wasn't really afraid of storms. She actually slept very well through them. It was Booker who didn't like them and would usually sneak into their room when one did hit. The brunette hadn't even noticed the bad weather they were experiencing.

Raven playfully rolled her eyes at Chelsea, "Now you know I am not the one that's scared of a little thunder."

Chelsea chuckled at the response, because she knew that sometimes that wasn't entirely true.

"I'm surprised Booker hasn't made his way in here already." She stated.

"Yeah. They've been in bed for a few hours now. Probably hasn't realized."

"Well, I guess it's good. He'll sleep through it." Chelsea mused.

"Yeah, maybe I can get a little re...AAAAHHHH!" Raven jumped when lightning lit up the night sky and the boom of thunder quickly followed.

Chelsea sprung up at the same time as Raven, partially due to the weather they were experiencing, but more so due to Raven's scream.

"Wanna cuddle?" Chelsea asked the brunette. Raven looked very shook up.

"I mean...if uh...if you want to." Raven advised. She hoped that Chelsea wouldn't pick up on the hitch in her voice. As of late, having Chelsea near her own body was a bad combination.

Raven closed her eyes and said a little prayer that she could control her breathing when she heard Chelsea rustling above her, clearly making her way down in order to lay with Raven.

Chelsea shook her head in amusement at the way Raven's voice had hitched. It was a good thing the brunette wasn't afraid of thunderstorms.

"Scooch over." Chelsea advised.

Raven did as she was told and Chelsea snuggled close under the covers. The women settled in for the night.

Chelsea started to talk to Rae about something she had read earlier that day. Nothing life changing. Just Chels being Chels and trying to make sure she helped Raven take her mind off of the weather.

Little did the redhead know that Raven's mind was no longer on the weather outside their window, but instead on the light heated breaths that would tickle against her neck everytime Chelsea would speak.

She swallowed thickly several times and could swear her heart was beating a mile a minute. She again closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer that Chelsea wasn't picking up on any of this.

The redhead continued to speak, but her sentences were becoming shorter and shorter. Eventually, her voice trailed off as her head grew heavy against Raven's shoulder.

"Chels?"

"I'm awake. I'm awake." Chelsea stated.

Raven smiled, "It's okay. I'm okay. Let's try to sleep a little." She whispered.

"Kay'." Chelsea responded, more asleep than awake.

Raven looked towards the woman, whose head had somehow now made its way onto her chest.

Raven readjusted herself to accommodate Chelsea. The brunette's right arm was underneath Chelsea's head and her left hugged the woman while she absentmindedly traced circles into the redhead's own arm. Eventually Raven's hand slowly made its way up towards Chelsea's face and into red locks.

The brunette carefully took in Chelsea's features while her hand gently massaged Chelsea's scalp. Raven's eyes drifted over the curve of Chelsea's chin, her nose, her cheeks, those soft lips. She smiled as she gently brushed back some red locks from Chelsea's face.

The redhead was beautiful. Raven had always known this, but lately, Raven just felt different when she would look at Chelsea.

She stopped herself as her finger itched to reach out and trace the lips she had just been appraising.

"Chelsea, I'm sorry for earlier...and for my behavior lately. You know I love you, right?" A disappointed smile appeared on Raven's face when there was no response from the redhead.

She watched soft breaths escape those same delicate lips she had been admiring earlier, and for longer than what would be considered "normal" for friends.

The finger that she had stopped just a few minutes ago, once again made its way to the redhead's face. This time she didn't stop its movements as it slowly glided over cheekbones, a nose that crinkled at the touch, which Raven found was something she wanted to see again, and eventually, over those beautiful, delectable lips. She gently traced over them a few times before taking that same finger and placing it over her own lips.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Her senses were instantly filled with hints of mint, probably from the toothpaste Chelsea had used.

After a few minutes she opened her eyes only to once again silently appraise the redhead that was now completely asleep over her chest. She continued to do so for some time until her own eyes grew heavy with sleep.

"Night Chels." She whispered and placed a soft kiss to the redhead's forehead.

Maybe tomorrow she could tell Chelsea how she was feeling.

Maybe tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**Trigger warning: Small hint of domestic violence.**

**Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.**

* * *

Raven came home and threw her Scüt hat onto the couch. It had been a long shift. Saturday's were always busy on her Scüt shifts, but today had been more taxing than usual. Somehow getting rid of the hat made her feel better. She instantly regretted tossing her hat down so carelessly when she saw how clean and pristine the apartment looked. She picked it up and placed it on the proper hook by the door. She shed her jacket and hung it as well.

As she stepped further into the apartment she heard soft music coming from down the hall. She followed the sound, only realizing that she had yet to hear any of the kids. That might explain why the apartment looked so spotless. Chelsea was constantly cleaning, but with three kids, or actually four, as Tess was a permanent figure nowadays, it was hard to keep things in order.

She continued her path towards the music stopping in front of the bathroom door. She smiled at the sight. Chelsea was dancing away while mopping the floor. She clapped softly, causing the other woman to jump at the sound.

"Rae, you scared me." The redhead stated as her hand came up to her chest.

Raven's face turned apologetic, "I'm sorry Chels." She really didn't mean to scare her.

"It's okay." Chelsea stated. "How was your Scüt shift?" She asked as she slowly padded on the wet floor towards the radio to turn it off.

"Okay, I suppose." Raven shrugged.

"May I have this dance?" She quickly followed up as she momentarily intercepted Chelsea's hand right before she hit the power button on the radio.

Chelsea looked up towards Raven's face, "I…" She chuckled nervously. "I was just being silly Rae." Referring to her dancing with the mop moments ago.

"Please?" Raven insisted, her soft brown eyes pleading with the other woman's.

Chelsea smiled and took the brunette's proffered hand, which caused Raven's heart to flutter.

"Who should lead?" The redhead teased as they made their way to the middle of the bathroom. The floor was nearly dry now, but they were still careful with their movements.

"You...I did it last time." Raven playfully responded, eliciting a small laugh from Chelsea.

"I think we dance entirely way too much for best friends. Like, do you think other best friends dance this much together?" Chelsea mused as her hands dropped around Raven's waist. The other woman's hands came to rest on her shoulders.

Raven smiled, "Probably not, but...we gotta alot of history you and I."

Chelsea nodded as their bodies swayed to the soft song that played in the background.

"Ready for the spin?" Raven asked.

"I thought I was leading?" Chelsea joked, but allowed Raven to spin her nonetheless.

Another set of laughs escaped them both and Raven took the opportunity to bring Chelsea's body closer to her own. The position of their hands changed as she now hugged Chelsea's waist and the other woman's hands hugged her around her neck.

"Where are the kids?" Raven asked as they continued their rhythmic movements back and forth.

Chelsea grinned, "I got rid of them."

"High five." Raven stated as she lifted her hand from Chelsea's body, the redhead high-fived it as requested. Another laugh was shared between them.

"Haven't heard you laugh like that in a while." Raven whispered.

Chelsea gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Raven noticed it. The redhead was holding something back, "What's wrong?" She asked.

Chelsea shook her head. Raven decided to leave it alone for now. She had been trying to be more respectful of Chelsea's feelings and so she didn't want to push.

Another spin, and Raven brought Chelsea in even closer to her this time, "So where'd you send them off to?" She asked about the kids again. That was usually a safe topic between them.

"Tess' uncle, the one that's a cop, had some community outreach camping thing set up with the rest of his department. Tess' mom had texted her earlier to advise he'd be by to pick her up, which caused her 'yin' to want to go."

Raven smiled. Nia and Tess' friendship, their bond, would remind her of her and Chelsea's at times. And her daughter was so much like Chelsea. Their love for the environment, animals, others.

"Then the boys started to beg and I figured, 'why not'? Tess' mom will meet them there after her shift. They should be back home tomorrow around ten. Hope you aren't upset?"

"Are you kidding? Kid free night? Did you not remember the high-five?" Raven teased, Chelsea smiled once more.

_There it was again_. _Another half-hearted smile._ Raven thought. Something was definitely weighing on best friend's mind.

"Hey, let's go to dinner." Raven excitedly suggested. Maybe she could help make better whatever it was that was bothering Chelsea with a night out.

"I don't know Rae…money's tight and..."

"Please Chels? One night out is not going to make us richer or poorer. We work hard everyday. We deserve a night out."

"You do." Chelsea mumbled as she let her arms fall from Raven's shoulders and walked towards the radio, finally turning it off. The woman stood with her back turned to Raven.

A lump formed in Raven's throat. She was upset with herself for Chelsea's comment. She had said so many similar things to the redhead in the last few months that the woman had begun to beat her to the punch in order to avoid having Raven be the one to say them.

"Chels, I know that I've…" Raven walked up behind the redhead and took her hand and turned her so that they were facing each other.

Her heart hurt when she noticed the red brimmed, vulnerable eyes that stared back at her.

"Chels, I know I've said alot of crappy things lately, but believe me...I am so sorry for them. You and I make a great team Chels. We always have. I couldn't imagine my life without you. I used to…" Raven let out an uneasy breath, "I hated when Garrett came into the picture. He...he would say and **do** things to you that would...make my blood boil." Raven stopped when she felt Chelsea tense.

"I am so sorry Chelsea. I don't want to be like him. I don't ever want to hurt you."

Chelsea furrowed her eyebrows at Raven's last statement and instantly spoke up, "Rae, you are nothing like Garrett. Nothing. Don't ever compare yourself to him...he would..." She stopped herself. Did Raven know the truth?

She decided she didn't want to talk about Garrett right now. Instead, she reached out her other hand and took Raven's in her own. Now both sets of hands linked them as she smiled softly at the woman, "...but I appreciate everything you just said right now. I miss us...you know?"

Raven nodded, "I do. So, what do you say? Dressing up? Dinner? Dancing somewhere that's not next to where Booker and Levi throw their dirty underwear?" Raven playfully gagged at the mention of the boys' stinky underwear.

Chelsea giggled, "I say…"

Raven raised her eyebrows in anticipation. Her eyes wide with excitement.

"Yes!" Chelsea smiled from ear to ear. "But…" She began as she gently nudged Raven towards the bathroom door, careful that the woman wouldn't fall as she was walking backwards.

Raven's shoulders sagged as her arms heavily fell to her sides, almost tantrum like, "No buts, Chels. You said we'd go. I want to go."

Chelsea laughed at her best friend's antics, "_But_…" She repeated, turning Raven towards the door. "I get to shower first." She playfully pushed Raven into the hall and shut the door. Raven just chuckled and shook her head in amusement. She stood outside the door for a few minutes as Chelsea began to sing. She smiled to herself, happy that her best friend's mood had turned around and excited for the possibilities of tonight.

After a few minutes she made her way to their room to pick out her outfit. She opened the closet and started to rummage through her side for something to wear. As she did so, the corner of her eye caught a red dress on Chelsea's side. She prayed to whoever was listening that Chelsea would choose that one. Her mind started to wander and picture Chelsea in the dress. Her red locks loosely falling over her soft, silky, exposed shoulders. The plunging neckline of the dress allowing her to see the swell of the other woman's breasts, not leaving much to the imagination of what she'd find underneath.

"What is wrong with me? This is not a date." She whisperingly chastised herself.

"Who's got a date?" Chelsea asked as she stepped into the room in only her bath towel.

Raven looked up and mentally reminded herself to close her mouth as she saw her best friend in a bath towel. The woman, who was searching through her panty drawer, had her back turned to Raven. The brunette licked her lips at the sight of Chelsea's exposed back. Raven carefully watched as drops of water would leave the woman's hair and slowly travel down soft, supple skin, until they eventually disappeared into the towel that was two seconds away from being pulled off by her.

"Rae?" Chelsea turned around to catch Raven quickly shift her gaze to their dresser.

"Huh?" Raven asked, still pretending to search for something on top of the dresser.

"Who has a date?"

"A date?" Her voice became slightly high pitched as her gaze snapped back towards Chelsea. "Who said anything about a date? I didn't...I don't…I mean…date?"

"Yeah, you were mumbling something about a date when I came in."

"Oh, uh...Devon. Yeah, Devon has a date. Uh huh. Devon."

"Oh Rae, are you okay? Is...is this his first after the divorce?"

"I'm fine. It's...you know, I'm actually not sure if it's his first. We really don't...we don't normally talk about stuff like that. But I'm fine." _Because I like you. I want to date you._

Chelsea tenderly smiled as she walked over to Raven and gave her a hug, "Well, I promise that tonight we will make sure your mind is on anything but Devon."

Raven closed her eyes and breathed in all that was Chelsea. Soft hints of lavender and vanilla invaded her senses, "Oh, believe me Chels, you're already doing a great job at it."

"Yay!" Chelsea hugged her tighter before pulling back with a smile. Raven returned it with a nervous nod.

* * *

They made it to the restaurant about an hour later. They had no reservations, but were seated rather quickly. The place was busy, and being Saturday didn't help, so waiting thirty minutes to be seated didn't seem so bad. Besides, they were not in a rush to get home. The kids were safe with Tess' mom and her uncle and the women had vowed to take full advantage of it. The thirty minutes went by even faster as they waited at the bar for their table.

"Should we order a bottle of wine?" Raven asked.

"Uh, not at these prices." Chelsea stated as she perused the menu. They had already spent enough at the bar ordering one drink each.

Raven made a face, "What happened to our deal? Making tonight about us?"

"Rae, we have three kids to feed. Heck, let's face it...four. Tess isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

Raven chuckled, "So we feed them mac and cheese for a few weeks."

"Rae!" Chelsea looked up to find the other woman smirking at her.

"You promised Chels."

Chelsea nodded in defeat, "I did. And wine sounds lovely."

"Yay!" Raven clapped in triumph.

They made more small talk. It was easy with them. They were best friends after all, but Raven had to keep reminding herself that this was not a date. The waiter came and took their orders. Shortly after, the wine and appetizers were brought out.

"Let's make a toast." Chelsea suggested.

"Okay. To what?"

"Friendship." Chelsea smiled.

Raven smiled back, however, her heart pinged with hurt. She loved their friendship, but wanted something more and she wasn't quite sure how that would ever happen when Chelsea wasn't feeling the same about her.

"May I add to it?" Raven asked, her voice strangely shy Chelsea noticed.

"Of course."

"To…" Raven trailed off. She wasn't ready to tell Chelsea how she felt, but she wanted it to be more than just about friendship. She and Chelsea were not just best friends. They were a lifetime of love.

"To us." She started. "To everything that we've been through being easier because we were by each other's sides...and to the future...may we continue to always be by each other." Raven raised her glass.

"To friendship and to us." Chelsea clinked her's against the brunette's. "I love you Raven Lydia Baxter." The redhead smiled. Tonight was such a wonderful reprieve from their day to day.

Raven's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She knew Chelsea loved her, but not in '_that way'_. And boy did she want it so badly to be in '_that way'_, "I love you too, Chels." Another ping to her heart.

"You'd better." Chelsea winked at the brunette.

The food came and their evening continued. They laughed so much tonight. Genuine laughs. Raven's heart fluttered everytime Chelsea threw her head back. The pure joy on the woman's face had Raven's cheeks hurting from so much smiling. She couldn't explain the happiness it caused to see Chelsea so carefree. Like the Chelsea she knew before Garrett.

"I can't believe we did that." Chelsea laughed again as she grabbed the tip of her cloth napkin and wiped at the corners of her eyes. Happy tears had formed from all the laughing.

"We were a pair you and I." Raven fondly remembered.

"Were?" Chelsea teased. The women shared a knowing smile at the statement.

"What do you say we take some dessert and wine to go?" Raven asked, noticing that they were getting stares from the waitstaff. Clearly they had occupied their table for longer than what was considered average.

"I love the idea of dessert and wine, but why don't we take a brisk walk and pick some up on the way home...aka, somewhere cheaper."

Raven chuckled, "I say, I like the way you think Chelsea Daniels."

They paid for their meal and left the restaurant. They were now walking hand and hand just a few blocks away from their apartment, wine and dessert already purchased and stuffed into Raven's large purse.

Chelsea smiled towards Raven, "I'm telling you it'll taste good." In reference to the redhead's craving for the pairing of wine and ice-cream. The brunette hadn't been too convinced while they were at the store.

"Maybe I'll just have the wine." Raven advised.

Chelsea let out a small laugh, "All part of my master plan to have all the ice-cream to myself."

Raven stopped and looked towards Chelsea in mock offense.

Chelsea simply shrugged and then closed her eyes as she felt the cool night air wisp against her face.

"Feels so good." She murmured with a low moan. Raven let out a shaky breath at the sexy sound. Her hand was still in Chelsea's so she tried not to stiffen as a few more emanated from the redhead.

Chelsea finally opened her eyes and smiled at Raven as she tugged her hand to let her know they could keep walking.

"You okay, Rae?" Chelsea asked after a few minutes. The woman was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason." Chelsea shrugged.

"Chels, do...do you find it odd that we hold hands?" Raven asked.

Chelsea let out a small laugh, "Ummm no?" She looked towards Raven. The brunette's facial expression was one of uneasiness.

"Why the question? We've always been like this with each other. Did someone say something to the kids?" Chelsea shot off worried at the strange question from her best friend. You know someone your whole life, you love each other, you're affectionate towards each other, you hold hands. Nothing odd in that.

"No, nothing like that. Just wondering. And you're right, we always have been like this with each other."

"Always." Chelsea agreed. "Except for…" She whispered. Her pace slowed and she turned to look at Raven. "Rae, tonight, when you mentioned Garrett...uh…"

Raven's heart broke as she saw Chelsea's eyes well up.

"Did you know?" She whispered.

"I did. I...not when you were with him. Because heaven help him if I had known he had laid one finger on you."

"When?" Chelsea questioned as a tear escaped.

"The night you showed up with Levi at my doorstep. You came and I could tell you had been crying, but I chalked it up to the divorce and him being a jerk and everything we had been discussing for the weeks before that, but then…"

A whimper escaped Chelsea and her gaze fell from Raven's ashamed of even hearing it.

"But then…" Raven's voice was gentle as she took Chelsea's other hand in her own. Her thumbs drew soothing circles over the woman's now shaky hands. "I noticed you were walking funny, or you'd be real careful when you'd go to sit on a chair, or the couch. You wore long sleeves in ninety degree weather. I just...I suspected."

Another whimper escaped Chelsea and her body shook from trying to hold in her cries. She abruptly pulled her hands out of Raven's and protectively hugged herself.

Raven's own eyes glistened with tears. "Chels…" She gently tipped the woman's chin so that she was looking at her.

"I'm sorry that he hurt you...and that I wasn't around to protect you."

Chelsea shook her head, "It wasn't your fault. I'm not an easy person Rae. I can sometimes get on people's nerves and I know that I've probably been driving you crazy as of late and I…"

"Chelsea, you did nothing wrong. He's the one with the problem. And don't ever think that you aren't perfect. I'm sorry that he ever made you feel that and me too for that matter. I've been careless with my words, but that stops now."

Chelsea nodded again.

"May I hug you?" Raven wanted to make all the hurt go away.

Raven received a nod from her best friend granting her permission to touch her.

Although Chelsea had agreed to the hug, Raven was careful with her movements. She knew that whenever the subject of Garrett surfaced, Chelsea would tense up and then practice the art of avoidance.

Raven wrapped her arms around Chelsea and the woman melted into her. She hid her face in the crook of Raven's neck as small hiccupped cries continued to escape her. Raven made sure to hug her tightly to try to transmit that she was safe and loved.

They stood like that for several minutes, passerbys giving them odd stares, but Raven didn't care. She could feel Chelsea's breaths evening out. She was starting to calm down.

"This is nice." Raven whispered in her ear. Chelsea agreed with a faint nod of the head.

"Your ice-cream melted…and I don't plan on sharing the wine… all part of my master plan." Raven teased in hopes of making Chelsea feel better.

In between tears Chelsea giggled as she lifted her head from Raven's neck and caught the woman's concerned gaze.

"You okay?" Raven worriedly asked as she lovingly tucked some hair behind Chelsea's ear.

Chelsea gave her a small smile, "I will be…as long as we're together, right?"

"Always." Raven agreed. "Let's go home." The brunette suggested.

Chelsea smiled at the statement. They walked some more, their hands still firmly held in one another's. The redhead brought her other hand to lay over them as she gingerly rested her head against Raven's shoulder. Their pace only slowed slightly.

"Is this okay?" She whispered.

Raven's heart fluttered, "It's perfect."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.**

* * *

Raven walked into an unusually quiet apartment. It was three-thirty, on a Tuesday, which meant the kids should be home, as well as Chelsea, yet she heard and saw no one. She hung her Scüt hat near the door and walked towards the bedrooms. She peeked into Nia's room, as her daughter had left the door open. No one. She walked a little further down towards the boys' room, as the kids tended to gather there. She gave a soft knock, but heard no noise from the other side. She slowly opened the door. The room seemed untouched since this morning when the boys left for school. She closed the door and made her way to her and Chelsea's room. She opened the door, also to find that it hadn't really been touched since this morning, except for Chelsea had obviously made the beds.

Raven walked backed towards the living room and pulled out her cell phone. She didn't see any messages from Chelsea or the kids. She walked towards the kitchen to see what they would be having for dinner, when a bright pink post-it caught her eye. It was in Chelsea's handwriting and addressed to the kids.

'_Hey Guys,_

_It's Tuesday, which means Tess' mom is home to watch you. _

_Be good for her. I'll be back to start dinner. Love you.'_

Raven furrowed her eyebrows. The note seemed..._familiar_? As if this was a normal happening on Tuesdays between Chelsea, the kids, and Tess' mom. Before Raven could let her mind wander any further, she heard voices outside their apartment door. It was the kids, they seemed energetic.

"I'm telling you. That's not what she meant, Booker." Nia advised with an eye roll as she, Tess, Booker, Levi, and her Aunt Chels all bumbled into their apartment.

"Tess, what do you think?" Booker asked. Obviously Nia couldn't be impartial because she was his sister.

"I think she was just asking for help with carrying her bag. Doesn't mean she likes you, Book." Tess gave him an apologetic smile.

"Levi?" He followed up looking for some support, but his little brother just lifted his hands in mock surrender.

"Aunt Chels?" Booker decided to ask _the_ _woman_ of the group, because his sister and his friends didn't know anything about women.

Chelsea smiled, "I think if you like her then you do nice things to show her, as long as you're being respectful of her boundaries. If she likes you back, she'll let you know. Alright?"

Booker nodded with a thankful smile, "Good advice Aunt Chels."

Chelsea winked at her nephew as the kids scrambled towards their rooms.

"Hi mom. Hi Aunty Rae. Hi Ms. B." Raven spoke to herself as the kids just passed her by without a second glance.

Chelsea chuckled at her best friend's antics. "You feeling left out?" She asked with a playful pout as she walked over to give Raven a hug.

"A little." Raven advised as she melted into Chelsea's arms. She closed her eyes and silently breathed in Chelsea's scent. The kids had gotten her a new perfume as a sort of thank you gift for all she did, which Raven had happily obliged to taking them to the mall to buy. Truth be told, it may have been her idea. The delightful aroma, mixed with Chelsea's own body chemistry, drove Raven crazy every time the redhead would get near her.

"Rae?" Chelsea chuckled as she tried to pull back from the hug and Raven held her tightly.

"Sorry, I just...I really love that perfume." _And you._ She added silently.

"I've told you, you can borrow it. What's mine is yours, right?" Chelsea advised as their embrace ended.

Raven nodded.

Chelsea walked past Raven and towards the fridge. She took out the ingredients for Taco Tuesday.

"Chels?" Raven asked, her voice held a bit of concern.

"Yeah?" Chelsea looked back towards Raven momentarily, but quickly went on to start washing the lettuce for their tacos.

"Is everything okay?"

Chelsea hands stilled as she looked back towards Raven again, "Why wouldn't it be?"

Raven shrugged, "You...I saw your note to the kids."

Chelsea let out a shaky breath, "I've been looking for work on Tuesdays. It's...Tess' mom is home when the kids get home so I don't have to worry about rushing back on time. I don't leave them for long and…"

Raven furrowed her eyebrows, "Chels, I'm not mad. I completely trust you with our kids. I know that you make decisions that are good and safe for them." Raven spoke up. She saw it in Chelsea's eyes, that look of fear, the one she would have whenever Garrett was brought up, and Raven never wanted Chelsea to have that look when it came to her.

Chelsea nodded and went back to preparing dinner.

"Need some help?" Raven quietly asked.

"Sure." Chelsea smiled as she made room at the sink for Raven. The brunette walked over and washed her hands. Chelsea handed her some tomatoes to dice.

"You know what would go great with our tacos?" Raven asked with phoney enthusiasm.

Chelsea chuckled because she knew what was coming, "What?" She still asked.

"Meat!" Raven exclaimed as she flitted her eyes towards Chelsea's.

"Should've gotten a non-vegetarian best friend." The redhead smirked.

Raven's eyes softened as she looked at her best friend, "I wouldn't trade you for the world."

"Rae." Chelsea's voice cracked.

"Besides…" Raven nervously dropped her gaze from the beautiful woman's face. She didn't know how much longer she could resist not telling Chelsea how she felt. She found herself more and more just wanting to be near Chelsea, touching her, wanting to kiss her lips. She had taken so many cold showers as of late, which at least was helping with their electric bill.

"...I like bean tacos. You know what they say about beans, right?"

Chelsea shook her head, "Nope. Not doing it."

"Oh come on...you know what they say." Raven teased as she playfully bumped Chelsea's hip with her own. The redhead looked up to find a mischievous grinning Raven looking back at her.

"We're really doing this...two grown women?" Chelsea asked.

Raven shrugged.

Chelsea shook her head, but followed along with Raven's high jinks as she always would, "Beans, beans...they're good for your heart...the more you eat em'..."

The shared a knowing smirk as they looked at each other, "The more you fart!" They said in unison as they fell into a fit of giggles.

Nia and Tess, who had come out to check on an expected time for dinner, gave each other a look.

"Yo, your moms sure are weird sometimes." Tess remarked. Nia just nodded as they headed back towards her room.

* * *

After dinner, homework, and baths, the kids were asleep, Tess was home, and Raven and Chelsea were exhausted.

They sat on the couch as they aimlessly watched some infomercial. The content on their screen prompted Raven to speak up. Something had been weighing on her mind since this afternoon, but she knew Chelsea seemed uneasy about it so she didn't want to harp on it at that moment.

"Chels?"

"Hmmm." The redhead asked as she adjusted herself on the couch a little better. Her head was now a few inches away from Raven's shoulder and the brunette wished with all her heart that Chelsea would just lay on her chest.

Raven took Chelsea's hand in her own. She didn't want Chelsea to feel uncomfortable with what she was about to discuss.

Chelsea looked down at their hands and then towards Raven with a small smile, "Am I in trouble?" She teased and Raven was grateful that there was no fear behind the redhead's eyes when she said it.

"Never." Raven whispered, her eyes caught Chelsea's.

"What is it Rae?" Chelsea asked, slightly worried.

"How come you've been looking for a job?"

Chelsea nodded at the question, "I am actually very proud of you for holding out all night before butting in." She teased.

Raven chuckled as she flipped her hair like a 'Diva', "You know how I do."

"I do...which is why I'm so proud." Chelsea smirked.

"Ha ha." Raven said with a lighthearted roll of her eyes. Chelsea smiled at the action.

"I…" Chelsea trailed off and turned in her seat to fully face Raven. The brunette mirrored her best friend's position.

Chelsea gave her a small smile as she placed her free hand over their hands that were already interlocked. She looked down for about a second. A bigger smile made its way onto her lips when she realized just how close she and Raven actually were, "Maybe we do hold hands too much." She teased, touching upon Raven's concern from that past weekend.

Raven swallowed thickly at the comment, but made no effort to remove the hand that was wedged between Chelsea's two. She loved being able to feel the redhead against her skin. She hoped for those same hands to feel other parts of her, and for her to be able to feel other parts of Chelsea. Soft, delicate, sweet...

"Rae?"

Raven's attention snapped back at the sound of Chelsea's voice, "What?"

Chelsea chuckled, "Did you hear anything I just said?"

"I'm sorry Chels, I...I'm a little distracted tonight, is all."

Chelsea nodded, "I said that although you said that you were okay with me staying home with the kids while you worked, I can't. I want to feel like I'm contributing."

"But you are. You cook. You clean. You watch the kids, which let's face it, is a full time job all by itself. You have that vegetable garden. You clip coupons. You..."

Chelsea gave Raven a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "But it's not a job...not one that produces money, anyway...which helps pay for bills."

"Chels…"

"No Rae, listen. I…I appreciate everything you've done for Levi and I, but…"

"You're not moving out, are you?" Raven worriedly asked.

"No. Of course not. But I need to feel like I'm making a difference here. I...with Garrett, he...he acted like he was behind my invention, and he would make all the decisions and I felt...stuck. Worthless. Like an inept airhead that was incapable of managing our household, our money, our son. I want to prove him wrong. I want to prove myself wrong." Chelsea's voice broke at the confession.

Raven watched as her best friend's beautiful brown orbs filled with tears. "Chels…" She whispered as her hand came up to gently wipe at a tear that had escaped her. She continued, her voice soft and full of love, "I'm sorry that Garrett made you feel that way, but you are not worthless or incapable. You're a smart, independent woman. You're a great mom, aunt, best friend, and person in general. You're perfect, Chels."

At the accolades being spurted by her best friend, Chelsea shyly dropped her gaze from Raven's.

"Hey…" Raven whispered as she gently tipped Chelsea's head so that their eyes would meet again. "You believe me don't you?" Raven asked. Her brown orbs found the redhead's and she just couldn't believe how lucky she was to have this woman in her life.

Chelsea let out a shaky breath as she noticed the way Raven was staring at her. The woman's normally light, auburn eyes, looked three shades darker.

Raven swallowed thickly as she saw Chelsea's breath hitch. She decided to turn her sight towards the TV. She wasn't doing a good job of hiding her feelings for the redhead lately, and she didn't want to scare Chelsea off.

"I um…" Chelsea abruptly pulled her hands away from Raven's, which she realized she had been holding for about twenty minutes now.

Raven worriedly looked back towards her best friend, "Chels, please don't…"

"I have to go check on the kids." The redhead advised nervously as she got up and rushed out of the room.

Raven closed her eyes, "Idiot." She chastised herself.

* * *

Chelsea had checked on the kids briefly, they were sound asleep, so after that five minutes, she didn't know what to do. She was nervous and didn't want to go back out towards the couch with Raven, and she didn't want to go to their room, because she and Raven never went to bed without each other. So here she was, nervously pacing the expanse of their bathroom. Back and forth. Back and forth.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." The redhead worriedly whispered as she sat down on the top of the closed toilet seat. She brought her hands up and shakily raked her fingers through her hair.

"This cannot be happening." Raven was...Raven was looking at her with want? Right? No, no. Raven is her best friend. There's no way. That's silly. It's dark. Our living room is dark. And that infomercial might as well have been a '_Halloween Movie of the Week'_ with how horrible the lighting was. It was just dark.

"Chels?" She heard Raven worriedly call through the closed door.

"I'll uh...I'll be right out." The redhead nervously replied as she got up and scrambled towards the door. She closed her eyes and laid her forehead against the cold wood.

"Okay, I'm...I'm going to bed." Raven advised, her hand came up and gently passed down the length of the door and landed unknowingly right where Chelsea's head was at, just on the other side. After a few moments, and no response from Chelsea, Raven decided to walk away. She was angry at herself for this whole situation tonight. With slumped shoulders and a heavy heart she just wanted to reach her bed and crawl under the covers.

"Okay." Chelsea whispered as she heard Raven step away and down the hall towards their room.

She walked towards the bathroom sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She reached for the hand towel, patted her cheeks dry and then took a deep breath as she headed back towards the living room. She wasn't ready to be in their room tonight. Besides, the couch wasn't so bad. She had actually slept there a few nights when she came back from working on the cruise ship. This would be no different, except for the fact that Raven had a crush on her. Other than that, everything was '_status quo'_.

* * *

Raven was in their room, hiding under the covers. She had them pulled up well past her head as she silently cried. She didn't want Chelsea to come in and hear her. However, she let out a small whimper when she heard the bathroom door open, close, and then within a few minutes the muffled sounds from the TV in their living room came to life. Chelsea wasn't going to come to bed. Her best friend was avoiding her.

The brunette sat up, wiped her tears, and reached for her cell phone. It was tossed on the area rug in front of her bed, next to her slippers. She had plugged it in for overnight charging before bed. The phone came to life as she swiped her finger across the screen. She put in her security code and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" A deep voice answered on the other end.

Raven furrowed her eyebrows, "Cory?"

The man chuckled at the clear shock in his sister's voice, "Hey Rae."

"Hey little bro. What are you doing at mom and dad's?"

"My band is playing a few gigs here for the next few nights so I'm crashing at their place."

Although Cory couldn't see her through the phone, Raven nodded at her brother's statement.

"You guys need to play a few shows over here in Chicago. The kids and I miss you. Devon does too. I'm sure he'd take time off to come see you."

"I miss you guys too. We don't have anything planned that way, but I'll see if anyone has any connects over there and maybe take a trip."

"We'd love that." Raven whispered. Although they use to clash often when they were younger, her brother had grown up to be a fine young man and she really did miss him.

"How's my bae?" Cory teased in reference to Chelsea.

Raven winced at the comment. If he only knew his old bae was her new hopeful to be her bae. Except she stupidly ruined it all and now she might have lost her best friend instead.

"She's good." Raven answered, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the sore subject. "Is mom home?"

Cory pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the Caller ID. Yeah, it said Raven Baxter.

He brought the phone back up to his ear, "Wait...wait...wait. No comment on how I have a new bae and how Chelsea never was and never will be my any kind of bae?" He chuckled.

Raven let out an uneasy breath, "Cory, I'm serious. I need to talk to mom. Please."

The young man frowned at the despair in his sister's voice, "I'm sorry, Rae. She and dad are out on a date."

"At this hour?"

Cory chuckled, "They have lives now that we aren't at home to bother them. Plus, we're two hours behind you, remember."

"Right." Raven giggled. Cory smiled, glad to hear his sister laugh, especially after her demeanor a few minutes earlier.

"Anything I can help you with?" He asked.

Raven let out an uneasy breath, which Cory heard on his end.

"Come on Rae. I'm not your goofy, annoying, little brother anymore. Maybe I can help." He stated with genuine concern in his voice.

"Alright, but swear to...have an open mind."

"Open mind. Got it."

"Okay, uh...here goes. I uh…" Raven took in a calming breath. _It's like a band aid, Raven. Just pull it off._ She tried to convince herself.

"I think I like Chelsea." She finally let out. "Actually, I know I like Chelsea."

Cory chuckled, "Well, she's been your best friend since preschool, it would be a little awkward if…" He trailed off and Raven closed her eyes, because even though she couldn't see him, she could almost imagine Cory's eyes bulging out of his head.

"OH MY GOD! YOU LIKE HER, LIKE HER? LIKE, LIKE HER?!" He yelled into the phone.

"Cory, shhhh." Raven advised. "I'm not sure if Devon heard you in Texas." She stated through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry. It's just...it's weird, Rae."

"You said you'd keep an open mind, remember?"

"I know. I know. It's just...it's a lot. It's surprising and unexpected. That's all."

Raven knitted her eyebrows, "What did you just say?"

"It's surprising and unexpected?" He questioned.

"Yeah, yeah. Surprising and unexpected, but not...not horrible." She whispered to herself. That was it. She caught Chelsea off guard. That didn't mean the woman hated her, or wouldn't correspond to her feelings, it just...it was a little shocking.

"Does Chelsea know?" Cory's voice brought her out of her inner dialogue.

Another shaky breath escaped Raven, "I think so. I haven't really said anything to her, but it's getting harder for me to hide my feelings and tonight...I think she...I think she figured it out."

"I'm assuming it didn't go so well if you were calling mom. Does mom know?" He quickly followed up with his last question. Curiosity getting the best of him.

"No, but...I needed a woman's perspective. I don't know what to do now. I've always been boy crazy, and now all of a sudden I'm in love with my best friend...who's a woman. I'm scared. I'm scared of what people will think and say. I'm scared of what Chelsea thinks about all of this. I'm scared of losing my best friend. I would've rather suffered in silence and never let her know how I felt then to not have her in my life, but I was careless and now I've ruined everything."

Cory frowned at his sister's statement, "Rae, I'm not an expert on these types of situations. But I know what you and Chelsea have is special. Whatever happened tonight, you'll get through it. You won't lose her over this."

Raven sighed, "You didn't see how freaked out she was. She...she didn't want to touch me or be near me. She could barely look at me. I don't want that to be our new normal."

"So, go back to your old normal. Show her that you are still just her best friend, no romantic feelings attached."

"When I was just her best friend, we would still hold hands and hug...an awful lot, actually. Like, an abnormal amount for two straight women in a platonic relationship."

Cory chuckled at the confession, because being a witness to the same many times before, he could attest to the validity of Raven's statement, "Okay, so go back to doing that, if that's what you've always done. Or, maybe take your cues from her for awhile. Till she feels comfortable again."

"See, that's what I'm worried about. It could take weeks, months, years even. I freaked her out. Now she suspects that I like her and until that feeling doesn't go away she won't be okay with the touching."

Cory nodded, "So convince her she misinterpreted your signals."

Raven rolled her eyes "Yeah, genius. I thought that's what we've been trying to figure out how to do."

"Don't take that tone with me. I'm trying to help you out. I'm not the one crushing on my bestie."

"Sorry." Raven mumbled. "Help me Cory." She whined slightly. "Our old normal wasn't very normal for society's standards, and it won't ever be the same. Not after tonight."

A devious smile took over Cory's features, "I got it! You can convince her you're not interested in her in 'that way' by dating someone. It'll have her second guess what she thought she saw tonight and chalk it up to her being mistaken about your feelings for her."

Raven cringed at the thought. She didn't want to date someone else and she definitely didn't want to lie to Chelsea. However, Cory's idea did set her wheels turning. If she found Chelsea the perfect date, and they hit it off, then she wouldn't be lying to her best friend. She really did want Chelsea to be happy. Her best friend deserves someone that is going to love her, respect her, and put her and Levi first. Raven so badly wanted to be that person, and although it's going to hurt her to find someone else for Chelsea to have that with, she was going to do her best, because there was no way she was going to lose the woman's friendship. No way.

"Thank Cory."

"No problem sis. That's what I'm here for."

"And for the record...you will always be my goofy, annoying, little brother..."

Cory chuckled at the statement.

"...but I love you."

"Love you too."

Raven hung up with her brother and tossed her phone back onto the rug, next to her slippers. She laid back down, turned her head towards the wall as her comforter came up over her face once again, like earlier that evening, to hide her watery eyes.

Operation 'Find Chelsea a Boyfriend' would start tomorrow. At the thought of it, Raven let out choked sob.

* * *

**AN: I wonder what Chelsea's going to think about the "perfect date" Raven wants to set up for her.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters, and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.**

* * *

Chelsea stood in the hall of their apartment, her head perched against the wood trimmed entryway as she silently watched Raven. The woman was completely enthralled as she worked at their dinner table on some of her fashion designs. Chelsea's mind wandered to some months ago when she and Raven had stood in this very same spot and watched their sons argue over something so juvenile...and here she was, acting childish. Ever since that awkward night on the couch a few weeks ago, Chelsea had avoided any real interaction with her best friend. If she was being honest, she was suffering terribly because of it. She missed holding Raven's hand, her hugs, her smile, her laughter, her sarcasm, her smell...her soft skin whenever she would lean in and…

"It's creepy when you watch me like that."

Chelsea's head snapped at the sound of Raven's voice, "I uh…wasn't..."

Raven shook her head at the woman's response. This is how it had been for weeks now.

Chelsea made her way over towards their dining room table and sat down, "I'm sorry. I was daydreaming."

Raven nodded, not once looking up from her work as she continued to sketch her latest design.

Chelsea's hand covered Raven's, in hopes that the woman would finally look up.

Raven's breath hitched at the touch. She had longed for this very touch for the last few weeks. She looked up, her eyes slowly met Chelsea's own.

"Would it be?" Chelsea husked.

Raven swallowed thickly, confusion etched on her features, "Would what be?" She breathed out.

Chelsea cleared her throat, "Me watching you? Would it be creepy?"

Raven let out a nervous chuckle. Was there a right way to answer this? Chelsea had been avoiding her for weeks. This was probably the most interaction they've had since then. It was good to feel her, hear her.

At the silence from Raven, Chelsea trudged forward, "I've always watched you." Her voice was visibly shaky at the statement.

Raven nodded, "You have always watched me..." Her gaze fell from Chelsea's, "Except for lately, you don't even see me." She whispered.

"Rae…" Chelsea dipped her head to catch sight of the other woman's warm eyes. "I'm sorry…."

Raven looked back up, her tear filled eyes caused Chelsea's heart to break.

"Rae...I never meant to hurt you. Please forgive me. I've just been so...so off lately. Can I hug you?" She asked with such vulnerability.

"Of course." Raven's voice cracked. It hurt that they were this awkward with each other. Their bodies had always found each other. Permission for same was always silently granted.

Chelsea quickly brought Raven in for a hug. "I'm so sorry, Rae."

"I missed you." Raven hugged the woman tighter.

Chelsea laughed with delight at the confession as she pulled back with a huge smile on her face, "I missed you too. I hate it when we fight."

"Me too."

Chelsea's smile faltered slightly when she noticed Raven's didn't quite reach her eyes. She knew that things would still be awkward between them. They had been avoiding the inevitable, the elephant in the room, the talk about the fact that Raven had a crush on her. Until it was addressed Chelsea knew that things wouldn't go back to how they were before, but at least this was a step in the right direction.

"Raven, that night on the couch when…" She decided to get it over with.

"Hey, I meant to uh...ask you something. I've just been so busy." Raven cut Chelsea off. She did not want to relive that night again. She already did everytime she closed her eyes and it never ended well. If it hurts to think about in her dreams, she certainly doesn't want to live it in her flesh.

Chelsea furrowed her eyebrows, a little annoyed at Raven's avoidance, "What did you want to ask?"

"Well, I've been thinking...there's this guy I know. Great guy. He and I used to work together. He got divorced about a year ago and was looking to maybe start dating again."

"I mean, are...are you ready to date again?" Chelsea asked and Raven swore she heard something off in the woman's voice.

"Are the kids ready for it? A lot of variables to consider Rae. Also, the guy's been divorced...how '_great'_ can he be?"

Raven chuckled, one because her suspicion of something being off with Chelsea's voice was correct, and two, "We've been divorced." She pointed out.

Chelsea's cheeks turned pink, "It's different." She mumbled.

Raven lips quirked into a smile as she amusingly stared at the adorable redhead, "Anyways, _I _don't want to date him."

"Oh." Chelsea perked up at the revelation from Raven. She felt unnaturally relieved about it.

"No, yeah...I was thinking maybe you could go out on a date. It would…"

Chelsea abruptly pulled her hand from Raven's, "Raven, no. I...I'm not ready for this. Why would you just…"

"I'm sorry Chels. I didn't mean to upset you. I just, with everything going on with Garrett, I figured a nice night out with a handsome man couldn't hurt. Besides, it's good to get out there. Try new things." And there it was. Raven had been dreading bringing up or even thinking about Chelsea going out with anyone. But this was part of her plan. She knew the redhead would be completely against the idea and so all she had to do was pose it. Then everything could go back to normal, which consisted of her secretly pining over her best friend while the other no longer suspected that she had a crush on her and they could go back to all the hugging, and hand holding, and soft touches here and there, and cuddling, and Chelsea's soft voice causing Raven's core to moisten everytime the woman would whisper near her.

Chelsea caught something in Raven's eyes. They'd been best friends for their whole life. Raven was lying, "Okay, Rae...maybe you're right."

Raven's head snapped at the redhead's statement, "Say what now?"

"Yeah, dating, you know. Maybe it's just what I need. Get out there again. See what I'm missing. Try new things, as you just said. Who knows, this guy could be...the one." She smiled at Raven as she got up and patted the woman's hand, "It's getting late. You coming to bed?"

Raven just nodded. On one hand, she was happy that Chelsea was back to asking her if she was coming to bed. On the other hand, now she had to call Brian and advise him that, '_Sure, my super cute best friend would love to go out on a date with you'_.

"Stupid Brian." She grumbled as she got up from the table.

"What was that Rae?" Chelsea turned around from her place in the hall where she was waiting for Raven to catch up.

"Nothing." Raven gave her a fake smile.

* * *

The weekend had arrived, and it had been agony for Raven all week just thinking about it as tonight was Chelsea's date.

"Can you all please go to your rooms?" Raven asked the kids, frustration clear in her voice. They had been in her house for hours, practicing for an upcoming event at school. It hadn't been so bad throughout the day, but her patience was now running a little thin as Chelsea was in their bedroom getting ready for her date.

She received a bunch of mumbled sorrys from the kids as they walked past her towards Booker and Levi's room.

_Finally, some peace and quiet. _She thought as she nervously wrung her hands together and paced the expanse of their living room. The only thing she hoped as she sent up a silent prayer to anyone that was listening was that Chelsea wouldn't wear the _red dress_. It was her favorite on the woman and she didn't think she could handle it.

"Well, what do you think?" Chelsea's soft voice brought her out of her thoughts as the redhead spun around showing off her outfit.

Raven bit her lip. It wasn't the red dress, but that didn't matter, because she realized that Chelsea looked gorgeous in whatever she wore. This blue dress was no exception. The woman's curves were accentuated in all the right places. Raven's fingers trembled with desire, aching to touch the woman.

"Rae?" Chelsea chuckled. Her best friend hadn't said one word.

Raven swallowed thickly as she walked up to the redhead and took her hands in her own, "You look beautiful." She whispered as their eyes met.

"Thank you." Chelsea's cheeks blushed as her hand came up and tucked some hair behind her right ear. A nervous habit she knew Raven was keen to.

"You uh…" Raven's fingertips ghosted over Chelsea's ear as she straightened a few misplaced strands. "...missed a few."

Chelsea nervously chuckled, "Wouldn't want to not look perfect for my date."

"Impossible." Raven advised. The use of the word perfect worried Raven slightly. She noticed that about Chelsea, she was always down on herself, worried about not being good enough. The simple comment reminding Raven that her friend's years with Garrett had done a number on her.

A knock at the door broke their moment, Chelsea reluctantly pulled her hand from Raven's as she went to answer.

"Hi. I'm Brian." The very tall, tanned, handsome, muscular built man introduced himself.

"Chelsea, your uh...date." She shrugged with a nervous chuckle as she stuck out her hand.

Brian took it, then asked, "Would it be forward if I gave you a kiss on the hand?"

Raven's eyes narrowed at the question. She had warned him to take it slow. Hand kissing? Was that slow?

Chelsea nervously chuckled once more, "I uh…it's..."

"I'm sorry." Brian realized. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine. I'm a little anxious. I haven't dated in awhile."

Brian nodded in understanding, "Well, we'd better get going if we want to make our reservations."

"Of course." Chelsea advised as she excused herself for a minute to go grab her clutch.

"Hey, Raven." Brian greeted the fashion designer when he spotted her by the dining room table.

Raven just nodded in his direction. Brian furrowed his eyebrows. Raven seemed upset with him.

"Ready." Chelsea walked back out to the living room, her purse under her arm.

"Okay, well you two kids have a great time. Don't stay out too late." Raven warned, her eyes fixed on Brian.

"Okay, mom." Chelsea let out a laugh at her best friend's antics. She gave Raven a peck on the cheek and walked out in front of Brian.

"Thanks again, Raven. Chelsea seems great." Brian quietly thanked the brunette as he happily followed Chelsea out the door.

A sad smile took over Raven's features as the door closed behind them. "She is great." She whispered as her hand came up to her cheek where Chelsea had just kissed her.

* * *

"Any kids?" Brian asked Chelsea. They were about halfway through their dinner and now some of the awkwardness of their first date was waning.

Chelsea smiled brightly at the thought of her son, "Yes, one. Levi. He's...he's my entire world. Well, him, the kids, and Raven."

Brian nodded, "How long have you and Raven known each other?" He couldn't help but notice how close Chelsea and Raven seemed. He knew of Chelsea through Raven because when he and Raven had worked together years ago, Raven spent more time talking about Chelsea than her, at the time, husband, Devon.

Chelsea blew out a breath, "My whole life, practically. Makes me feel old." She giggled at the last part.

"No wonder."

Chelsea's brow creased, "No wonder?"

Brian's eyes went wide, "No, not...not that you're old. It's just, Raven was always talking about you. I could tell she really cared a lot for you and that you all were probably very close. That's what I meant. That I can tell you all are close."

Chelsea smiled thoughtfully, "We are. Did she ever tell you about the time..."

Brian nodded as Chelsea went on about Raven. He let out an uneasy breath. He was sinking on this date, and fast.

* * *

"Hey mom, do you know where the smoke machine is at?" Nia asked Raven. The brunette was in her and Chelsea's room looking for something.

"I know you all are not asking for that smoke machine when Aunt Chelsea and I strictly _forbade_ it." Raven never turned to look towards her daughter.

"Mom, please, we…" Nia ducked when clothes from her mom and aunt's closet went whizzing by her.

"What are you looking for?" The young girl decided to ask. Her mom was on her hands and knees searching in closets, under beds, behind furniture.

"Aunt Chels' yoga mat." Raven let out an exasperated breath as tried to stand up from her spot on the floor. Her daughter grabbed her hands and helped her.

"Why?" Nia asked as her mother tiredly plopped herself on the bottom bunk.

"Because I want to do some yoga."

"You hate yoga."

"I do not hate yoga."

"Yeah, you do. You told Aunt Chels you'd rather…"

"It's there a point to why you're in my room instead of your own? Or better yet, at Tess'?" Raven asked with a tight smile.

Nia made a face, "We need the smoke machine to practice our routine."

"No you don't. Make do."

"Please, mom." Nia begged.

"Nia, sweetheart, I'm having a bad day. Can you all please just…"

"Yeah, mom. We'll make do. Sorry." The young girl quickly apologized. She could see her mom was at her wits' end.

Raven nodded her thanks.

Nia started to leave, but her concern for her mother caused her to turn and address her one more time. If she had been worried before, now even more when she found her mom's eyes closed, and a lone tear trailing down her cheek.

"I know where it's at." Nia advised.

"The machine?" Raven's eyes popped open, a little shocked that Nia would outright defy her and Chelsea.

Nia shook her head, "The yoga mat."

"Where?" Raven eagerly asked.

"Coat closet." The girl whispered.

Raven smiled brightly at her daughter as she started to get up to head towards the living room.

"Mom?"

Raven turned around to meet Nia's concerned gaze.

"Is everything alright with you and Aunt Chels?"

Raven gave her an appreciative smile, "We're fine sweetheart." She brought Nia in for a hug and kissed the top of her head, "But thank you for asking."

"You're welcome." Nia mumbled into her mom's shirt as she sunk into the hug a little more. She was a teenager, and so it wasn't always cool to hug your mom, but every once in awhile when she would allow it to happen she remembered how nice it would feel.

"Mom, I just want you to know something."

"What's that sweetheart?" Raven asked, her voice soft. Having Nia in her arms was surely putting her at ease right now.

"I just want you to be happy...you and Aunt Chels...no matter what...and so do Levi and Booker...and even Tess."

Raven chuckled at the last part as she pulled back to look at Nia. She tenderly tucked some hair behind the girl's ear, "We are very happy. You kids make us happy."

Nia nodded, "I know, but...you all deserve other things that make you happy too...and I just wanted you to know that us kids, we understand that."

Raven smiled at Nia, "When did you get so smart?"

"I am my mother's daughter."

They shared a knowing smile as Raven brought Nia back in for a hug.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Where'd we land on that smoke machine?"

Raven narrowed her eyes as she pulled back to look at NIa, the young girl pursed her lips and wiggled her eyebrows.

Raven couldn't help but chuckle at her daughter's antics, "Well played, Nia Baxter Carter. Well played."

"Yo Nia, did you get the machine from your...oh…" Tess trailed off when she noticed Raven looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Raven let out a frustrated breath, but conceded to the machine so she could finally go get Chelsea's yoga mat and make it to the roof for a short session.

"Mrs. B, I thought you hated yoga?" Tess questioned.

"I do not hate yoga."

"Yeah, you do. You told Mrs. D you'd rather…"

"I ask you to put away the milk after using it and place your dishes in the sink and none of you all hear that, but my innocuous comment about yoga...that you hear. You all better get this smoke machine and go."

Tess and Nia shared a smile as they grabbed the machine Raven and Chelsea had hidden in their room and ran off with it.

* * *

"I had a great time tonight, Chelsea." Brian stated. They had gone to dinner and a brisk walk through the park and were now back in front of Chelsea and Raven's apartment.

"Me too." Chelsea advised.

Brian let out a breath, "I don't think there's going to be a second date, is there?"

Chelsea gave him an apologetic smile, "Brian, you're...a great guy. Really. It's just...this is all so new and...I don't think I was as ready for this date as you deserved for me to be."

Brian nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry." Chelsea whispered.

Brian smiled at her, "Don't be. You were great company and I did have a great time. Got to learn a whole lot more about Raven." He teased. Chelsea had gone on and on about the woman.

Chelsea blushed at the statement, "Sorry. Rae makes me feel safe when I'm nervous. Having her not be there...next best thing was talking about her."

Brian chuckled, "I get it. This was a big step and I'm glad that we uh...took it together. Who knows...maybe in the future, when we're both ready we can...try again."

Chelsea nodded, her heart and her mind telling her that there would probably be no next time for Brian, but not wanting to completely hurt the man's feelings.

"Night Chelsea."

"Night Brian."

She waited for Brian to completely be out of sight and then rummaged through her purse for the key to the apartment to let herself in. She thought about knocking, but it was a little on the late side and she thought perhaps the kids, and maybe even Raven, were fast asleep. However, when she stepped inside the kids sleeping couldn't be farther from the truth. Their living room was filled with smoke and the kids were at the dining room table working in their notebooks, eating snacks, and sipping on sodas.

"What is going on in here?" Chelsea asked.

All the kids looked up with guilty expressions.

"Where is Raven?" Chelsea asked, her hands on her hips.

"Roof top, doing yoga." Levi advised with a smile.

"And so we take advantage that the cat's away?" Chelsea asked. "It is way passed everyone's bedtime. Snacks away, properly, not just shoved everywhere. Notebooks up, teeths brushed, faces washed, and everyone in bed by the time I get back with Raven. Got it?"

All the kids nodded.

"Mrs. D, can I spend the night?" Tess decided to quickly toss in her request as she and the rest of the kids started scrambling around to clean up and get ready for bed as Chelsea had advised.

Chelsea looked at her phone, it was nearing eleven at night, "Fine. Run across the hall and check with your mom."

"Yes." Tess triumphantly fist pumped as she ran towards her place to make sure her mom was okay with her spending that night at Nia's, which she knew she would be. She always was.

* * *

Once the kids, including Tess, cleaned up and headed to get ready for bed, Chelsea headed to the roof to look for Raven.

Before opening the heavy, loud, creaky door to the rooftop, she decided to quietly observe Raven from the door's window. The brunette was staring at her phone and then trying to mimic some yoga moves.

Chelsea assumed that Raven was reading about the different yoga poses, and then trying to emulate them. It was not going well.

A giggle escaped her when Raven lost her patience and then just decided to flop back on the mat and close her eyes.

"Meditating?" Chelsea asked, she had now opened the door and caught Raven by surprise.

Raven chuckled at the teasing tone in her best friend's voice, "I was trying the other moves, but they weren't really working out for me."

Chelsea nodded as she walked towards Raven, "Room for one more?" Her foot lightly tapped the corner of the purple yoga mat.

"Of course." Raven advised as she moved back on the mat and made room for Chelsea. The redhead kicked off her four inch heels and quickly took her place in front of Raven.

They now sat, facing each other. Raven with her legs crossed, while Chelsea had them off to the side and tucked underneath, due to the dress she was wearing.

"Nice night." Chelsea advised as she looked up towards the sky. Raven followed her line of sight, but then dropped her gaze to the woman in front of her. Her eyes slowly trailed from Chelsea's neckline, to the swell of her breasts, all the way down towards her legs.

"How was your date?" She decided to ask as she tenderly tapped Chelsea's slightly exposed, silky smooth thigh.

Raven convinced herself it was to grab Chelsea's attention since the woman had been staring up at the night sky, but the way she guiltily curled her fingers on the hand that had just touched the woman let her know there was so much more to the touch.

Chelsea's eyes drifted towards Raven's hand and then met the woman's guilt ridden expression with an amused smile, "I shaved for the date."

Raven swallowed thickly, "Okay." Unsure as to why Chelsea would respond with that particular comment.

"I don't know why. I...I heard date and thought, I should shave and get myself all prettied up, but...in my heart I knew I was just going through the motions you know."

Raven nodded, the redhead continued.

"I mean, he was nice enough, but I was just bored. The best part was the actual food and...the fact that he let me go on and on about things that were important to me."

"So, no second date for Brian?"

Chelsea chuckled, "No. No second date for Brian. Hey, want to uh, work on some yoga moves together?" She abruptly changed their topic of conversation as she got up and stood behind Raven.

"Okay." Raven agreed, slightly surprised by the quick change in conversation, but very much welcoming to it. Secretly happy that Brian flopped on his date with Chels and that the woman had no intentions of ever seeing him again.

Chelsea's arms reached underneath Raven's own as she gently stood the woman up. Raven closed her eyes at the feel of Chelsea's warm body against her back. The redhead's pert nipples slowly grazed Raven's arm, and she could still feel them through her shirt as her back was now settled against Chelsea's front. The woman's soft, heated breaths ghosted against her neck.

She swallowed thickly as Chelsea husked in her ear, "What I'm about to teach you is called the _Puppy Dog Stretch._"

Raven let out a shaky breath as Chelsea rested her right hand firmly against her back, and her left arm glided across her breasts. Raven's nipples hardened at the contact, and she closed her eyes to revel in the sensations that Chelsea was making her feel.

"Bend over, Raven." Came the throaty, whispered order from Chelsea.

Raven whimpered at the command as she let Chelsea guide her body lower on the mat. Her legs were touching together in the back, her ass was in the air, and her breasts, chest and arms lay flat across the purple foam beneath her.

Chelsea stretched her legs widely as she glided her body over Raven's. A guttural moan escaped the brunette when Chelsea's warm core grazed her ass.

Chelsea smirked to herself at the sound that emanated from Raven. She allowed her hands to start at the small of Raven's back, close to her behind, as she slowly slid her thumbs beneath Raven's panties, the rest of her fingers under the woman's shirt. Her thumbs massaged below the brunette's panty line for a few minutes then her hands slowly made their way up the warm, soft skin beneath them.

Long, delicate, dangerously slow fingers passed over Raven's back towards her rib cage, and eventually over the sides of her breasts. The soft ministrations caused Raven's breasts to harden and her core to moisten with desire.

"You're not wearing a bra." Chelsea playful whispered in her ear.

Raven's heart pounded against her chest and she struggled to speak, so she just nodded instead.

"This is my favorite pose...wanna know why?" Chelsea continued her seductive whispers.

""Wh..why?" Raven struggled to form words.

"I read that it actually stimulates the G-spot."

Another whimper escaped the woman beneath her and Chelsea couldn't help but smile.

"I've put it to the test, right before I'm about to bath...and it's true. Only one problem with it…"

"Wh...what's that?" Raven stumbled over her words.

"Then I have to take care of myself...in the shower. That's why I pushed so hard for the detachable shower head. It helps."

Raven closed her eyes at the confession, her hands were sweaty and clammy against the mat beneath her and she wondered if she would be able to hold herself up any longer.

"You know what I mean by taking care of myself, don't you?

Raven only nodded not trusting herself to speak past the lump in her throat, her mind wandered imagining a hot and wet Chelsea masturbating in the shower. Of their apartment. Their shower. The shower she would often use right after the woman that now sat atop of her was confessing to masturbating in.

"You know what I kept thinking about the whole time I was on the date with Brian?"

Raven shook her head, a little peeved that Brian's name had come up.

"How you were right, Rae."

"Oh? How's that?" Raven squeaked. Her knees and legs felt like Jello and she wasn't sure she could hold this position much longer. Her G-spot had certainly been stimulated, and she knew one false move from her or Chelsea and she would orgasm right there on their roof.

"About how we should try new things, like you tonight with the yoga. Something new, that you were completely opposed to before, but...you're liking it now, right?" Chelsea's voice was no longer husky as she slowly slid off of Raven.

The other woman allowed her body to fall flat on the mat beneath her and she carefully turned over to face Chelsea.

Chelsea sat next to a very tired looking Raven, "You're all sweaty. I'm sorry."

Raven quickly shook her head, "Don't be. You're right...I uh...I didn't think I would ever be into yoga, but I think tonight's session changed my mind."

Chelsea smiled as she tenderly brushed back some hair from Raven's glistening forehead, "Funny how that works, isn't it? One day, you're...you're completely opposed to something, but then one day you wonder why you ever thought it would be a bad idea."

Raven tried to swallow passed the lump in her throat, "Life is funny that way."

"Maybe we could...do this again sometime?" Chelsea asked.

"I'd like that." Raven whispered.

They shared a knowing smile.

"I should uh…" Chelsea pointed towards the rooftop's door as she started to stand. "The kids were running amuck up there and I'm not sure they actually made it to bed yet."

Raven agreed and attempted to follow her movements to stand as well, but had to stop herself almost immediately.

"You coming?" Chelsea asked when she noticed Raven had stayed firmly planted on the yoga mat.

"Uh huh." She mumbled as she pursed her lips and tightened her legs together. She was completely soaked down there.

Cheslea tried to hold back a smirk, "You need some help?"

"Nuh uh." Raven advised, not able to form real words.

"Okay. Well, I'll be upstairs."

Raven just nodded.

"Hey, Rae?" Chelsea, who was already by the door, turned to address the brunette.

Raven just raised her eyebrows. She was afraid that if she moved any part of her body she would come undone right in front of Chelsea. It wouldn't take much. The orgasm that had been teetering in her core, and her hardened nipples, would only need but one soft graze from her clothing to make it happen.

"I was going to take a quick shower, but I think you might need it more than I do. I'll leave the cold water running for you."

"Don't you mean the hot water?" Raven finally found her voice.

Chelsea chuckled, "I don't know, you tell me when you're finally able to get up." She winked and headed inside.

Raven groaned and threw herself back against the purple foam mat beneath her, "What was I thinking? I freaking hate yoga."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

_ **Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.** _

**Trigger Warning: Slight mention of domestic violence/physical abuse in this chapter. **

* * *

"Night Chelsea."

"Night Brian."

She waited for Brian to completely be out of sight and then rummaged through her purse for the key to the apartment to let herself in. She thought about knocking, but it was very late and she knew the kids, and maybe even Raven, were fast asleep. She secretly hoped Raven was awake though. She wanted to tell her about the uneventful date. The fact that she was so uninterested in it, and Brian, had led her mind to wander to other things. Going out on a date after three years of not being with anyone will do that to you. She wasn't upset about it. On the contrary, she felt that it had really helped her gain some perspective.

When she stepped inside, the living room was dark. The first thing she noticed was Raven, completely passed out on their couch, a warm and fuzzy blanket covering her lower half. The only light was the reflection from the TV, which danced across the sleeping woman's face. She tip-toed closer and really took in the woman. Chelsea smiled at the sight. Her best friend really was of the most beautiful person she knew.

She stood there a few more minutes, silently appraising her. Her skin, flawless in the reflection of the TV's soft lighting. Chelsea's hand slowly reached out to trace Raven's cheeks, the baby soft skin caused her fingers to linger as she took in the brunette's features. Her eyes subconsciously fell to Raven's lips. She swallowed thickly as she guiltily withdrew her fingers from her best friend's face and tucked them against her abdomen.

A little confused and overwhelmed by her feelings, she looked away from the sleeping beauty. Her eyes flickered towards the TV instead. The set was on low volume, an infomercial staring back at her. Some "_Super Chopping Tool"_ for veggies, fruits, meats, ice...and even tile!

She chuckled at the actor portrayals. Her mind wandered yet again, as it had been doing all night, to when she use to be the person on the other side of the TV, excitement over the '_better than a mop, it's the Schmop! A must have in every home!'_

"That's a Schmop for you and a Schmop for your best friend." She whispered to herself.

Another smile etched her features as she looked back towards the Clyde to her Bonnie. '_Thick as thieves'_ is what they'd say about them. Pre-School. Grade school. High school. College. Submarines and oil rigs...they'd done it all together, never skipping a beat. Then Garrett came into her life and something switched. A '_glitch in the matrix'_ if you well.

She frowned slightly at the thought. Those years with Garrett, and the physical distance it placed between her and Raven, were some of the hardest of her life. She hated that she and Raven had a few years where they weren't as close. When the abuse started, it got even worse. She would avoid calls and visits from the other woman. She shook her head, wanting to somehow rid her mind of those particularly low moments in her life.

Her eyes continued to adjust to the dimly lit room, she noticed their living room was filled with remnants of smoke. Raven must've caved on the smoke machine. A chuckle escaped her, the brunette had sworn up and down that Chelsea would be the weaker link when it came to the obnoxious device their kids insisted they needed for their band.

Her eyes continued their path and took in the chaos that was their living room. Their dining room table was littered with the kids' notebooks, some half eaten snacks, and soda cans. She smiled as she looked towards the sleeping brunette once again, clearly she had let the kids run amuck this evening.

She wanted to wake Raven, but the woman looked so peaceful that she thought better of it for the time being. Instead, she walked towards their bedroom to find some pajamas and get herself comfortable for the night.

On the way to their room she briefly looked in on the kids. Levi and Booker were fast asleep. She chuckled at the symphony of snores between them. Another couple of minutes admiring the boys and she made her way to Nia's room, another light laugh escaped her as she caught sight of Tess as well. She watched them carefully, huddled close. They truly were mini replicas of her and Raven.

She giggled at the thought that crossed her mind, and it wasn't the first time it had either, but...Nia was the perfect mix of her and Raven. She couldn't help but think of her and Rae at that age, and even now, their unbreakable bond standing the test of time. A sigh escaped her as the unpleasant thought from earlier creeped back up, reminding her of the time they lost when she was married to Garrett. She quietly closed the door and padded towards her and Raven's room.

As soon as she stepped into their sanctuary, she furrowed her eyebrows at the moved furniture and strewn about clothes. "What happened in here?" She whispered.

She didn't allow herself to dwell on the upside down looking room for too long. She was more interested in finally relieving herself of the four inch heels she had decided to wear tonight. She carelessly tossed them among the rest of the pile of clothing that haphazardly lay on the floor, in front of the half opened closet door. She swept some of the clothing to the side with her foot and found Raven's fluffy slippers, her own were probably buried beneath the pile. She decided to put on her best friend's for now.

She grabbed her pajamas and made it to the bathroom. She pondered taking a shower, but decided against it due to the time. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. She was hesitant to go wake poor Raven. She thought back to how her best friend had her neck in an uncomfortable position. She knew that if she allowed her to stay there the whole night she was sure the woman would wake up with terrible neck pain. That final thought was the one that helped her make up her mind. She quickly splashed herself with the perfume the kids had bought her. She knew Raven really enjoyed it on her and she secretly liked the brunette's compliments and lingering hugs when she would wear it. After one last look in the mirror, she was off to wake up the brunette.

She stopped just short of the couch and bit her bottom lip. She didn't know why, but something about watching Raven made her heart flutter.

"Rae?" She gently shook the woman after a few minutes. "Rae?" She tried once more.

At the far off calling of her name and someone touching her, Raven started to mumble in her sleep, "I fre..kin' hate yoga…"

Chelsea chuckled at the woman's odd response, "Rae?"

Raven's eyes flew open and she jumped back startled at the presence she felt looming over her.

"Hey, it's okay. It's me. It's me." Chelsea quickly reassured. She tried to catch Raven's eyes as she slowly passed her hand over the woman's cheek. She didn't mean to scare her.

"Chels?" Raven questioned, still a little disoriented.

"Yeah. It's me. I'm sorry." She was kneeling on the side of the couch, the one closest to their front door. The upper half of her body draped slightly over the armrest as she tenderly brushed back the hair from Raven's face.

"How...how long have you been home?" The brunette tried to find her bearings. Weren't she and Chelsea just hanging out on the roof?

"Not long." Chelsea whispered.

"What time is it?"

"Almost one thirty in the morning." The redhead informed.

"One thirty?" Raven furrowed her eyebrows. She briefly looked around the room. The kids had made a mess, the TV was turned to a typical late night infomercial...something about a face cream. And the magenta colored yoga mat she had been looking for earlier sat rolled up next to the coat closet, in the umbrella basket.

"Did we...do yoga on the roof?" The brunette wondered out loud.

Chelsea chuckled at the question, "No, but you certainly have yoga on the brain." She playfully booped Raven's nose with her pointer finger as she stood upright and made her way to sit on the couch next to her very confused friend.

Raven shook her head at the statement as her eyes roved to the yoga mat once more. It felt so real, her time on the roof with the beautiful redhead. _Too real and too good to be true. I should've known. _ She frowned slightly at the thought as she let out a disappointed sigh.

"So, how was your date?" She decided to bite the bullet as she turned her attention towards Chelsea, only now noticing that the woman was already in her sleeping clothes. She was wearing the perfume, the one that drove Raven crazy.

Chelsea thoughtfully nodded at Raven's question. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed slightly as she tried to find the words to describe her date.

Raven laughed, "That bad?"

She and Chelsea shared an amused smile.

Chelsea sighed, "I mean, it wasn't _that_ bad. He was the perfect gentleman, but I was bored out of my mind." She dramatically threw her head back and let out a playful groan. Raven chuckled at the woman's antics.

"Honestly, I was surprised he suggested we go to a movie after dinner. I was sure that after talking about you and the kids during our whole meal he'd surely call it a night."

"So, you uh...you all went to the movies?" Raven asked. Chelsea caught a little hint of something odd in her voice.

The redhead nodded, "New superhero movie."

"Which one?" Raven tried to continue the conversation, but her brain was running a hundred miles a minute. She had specifically told Brian _**only**_ dinner. First the hand kissing, then dinner _**and**_ a movie. Clearly he couldn't be trusted. She wondered what else he tried to get away with tonight.

Chelsea made a face at Raven asking about what movie they saw.

"Chels?" Raven chuckled. "You were so bored that you didn't even pay attention to the movie? I set you up on the worst date ever, apparently."

The redhead shrugged with a giggle, "It wasn't that. I just...if I would've met Brian, pre-Garrett, he would've definitely gotten a second date and probably a pretty nice make out session at the movies."

"So uh…" Raven swallowed thickly as she picked off imaginary lint from one of their couch cushions. "You didn't uh...kiss good night?"

"God no. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not even a little peck on the cheek. The whole movie I was just in my own little world. A bunch of different thoughts. Lots of _'what ifs'_ running through my mind." The woman sadly smiled towards Raven.

"What kind of thoughts?" Raven's voice lowered, worried at the response. She and Chelsea have never really talked about the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of Garrett. Except for that night, on their date.

_It wasn't a date, Raven. _She secretly chastised herself.

"Us. The kids. Me...Garrett." Chelsea's voice broke her thoughts.

"Chels." Raven worriedly whispered as she noticed the tears that gathered in the other woman's orbs.

"I'm okay." Chelsea assured. She quickly wiped her eyes before those unshed tears could make it onto her cheeks.

"I just...I hate that you and I spent so many years apart, you know?"

"We were both getting older and new people were coming into our lives. But we're still here now. We're still in each other's lives." Raven was quick to reassure.

"I know, but...things could've been so much different. You tried to warn me about Garrett, but I was so in love. I never thought he would hurt me. I...I saw how great things were for you and Devon. You had just had the twins and...I...I felt like no matter what, our friendship was going to change. And then, Garrett, he...he would hone in on that. He'd use it to his advantage and say things like, 'You're not in high school anymore, she's got her own life'. He sold me this picture perfect future and I...I wanted to have that...what you had. Then I'd feel horrible for being...jealous of you?" Guilt flashed across her eyes as she looked towards Raven.

Raven quickly took Chelsea's hand in her own, "Don't ever feel like that, Chels. I get it. I guess I also…I got so caught up in my own happiness that I left you out in the dust for a little while. And I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Rae. Life just happened."

"Exactly." She tucked some hair behind the redhead's ear. "Life does just happen and you have nothing to feel guilty about."

"Thanks."

They shared a knowing smile.

Chelsea sighed, "I felt weird tonight with Brian. He...when he grabbed my hand, I just felt anxious. Then at dinner, he pulled out my chair, but I just thought…" She shook her head.

Raven watched as her best friend tried to work through some inner turmoil.

"One time Garrett, he uh…" She swallowed pass the lump in her throat. She could do this, "I was upset because it was our anniversary and he didn't want to do anything. He didn't buy me a gift, even though I had gone out earlier that week and bought him a special coin for his collection and a new watch. He didn't even say thank you. I at least wanted to get out, maybe go to dinner, but...he didn't want to go out. I got so upset and he finally said if I wanted to cook something romantic we could eat in because he was tired of my nagging. I believe he actually said, '_Stop being such an annoying bitch'_."

She shook her head and let out a bitter laugh, "So, stupid me...I made dinner. Of course, not very well…" She trailed off as tears welled in her eyes. "But I tried. And he came to the table and pretended to finally be excited about our anniversary. He went to pull out my chair, but…" A choked sob escaped her and Raven quickly brought her in for a hug.

"He kicked it from underneath me and then just threw the food on top of me. Said he wasn't going to eat that '_shit'_. I was so scared and lonely and...all I could think of was...I wish Rae were here because..she'd know what to do…" Chelsea cried into Raven's chest.

"Chels…" Raven let out a worried breath. "I'm here now. And I won't let anybody hurt you, ever again. Do you hear me?"

Chelsea nodded through hiccuped cries.

"I'm here." Raven kept whispering in her ear as she lovingly ran her fingers through Chelsea's soft locks.

"I'm still stuck back there, Rae. I'm so scared. I can't move forward and I'm...I'm waiting for you to come rescue me. And I hate myself for it." She advised as she pulled back to look at Raven.

At the sight of Chelsea's tear stained face, Raven frowned, "Why do you hate yourself for waiting on me?"

"Because. You can't always come to my rescue. I...I have to be able to handle things on my own. I can't depend on you for everything."

Raven took Chelsea's face in her hands, the pads of her thumbs gently wiped at the tears that continued to fall, "You can absolutely _**count**_ on me for everything, which is different from being dependent on me. We love each other Chelsea Ophelia Daniels. There are things about me that now one else knows or will ever know, but you. You are so special to me...you...you have no idea." Her eyes found Chelsea's. "No idea." She husked.

Chelsea let out a shuddered breath at the intense look from Raven.

"I have been, and will continue to be the person that you can always count on...and I am sorry that for a brief period I wasn't that. If you hurt, I hurt, Chelsea Daniels. I want you to be happy. I would move heaven and earth for you to be happy."

"Thank you, Rae." Her voice cracked. "It's just been hard and I feel like I've been a burden on you."

Raven gave her a sad smile. She felt terrible for ever making Chelsea feel like that was ever the case.

"And I'm stuck, you know? Waiting on my happiness to come. I love you and I love the kids, but I'm...I'm stuck. And...tonight with Brian I realized, I don't want a man to validate my feelings or to make me be "_happy"_. If somebody comes along that does that for me, then great. My heart won't be able to contain itself, but...for now, I need to find what makes me happy...for me. I need to have something I can call my own. Is that selfish?"

Raven shook her head, "Absolutely not. I want you to have everything you wish for. Whatever will make you happy, that's what I want for you...and...I want to do everything I can to help you obtain that. You are the nicest, most giving, loving person I know…" The outside of Raven's half closed fingers slowly trailed down the redhead's cheek, "...you deserve the world, Chels."

Chelsea's eyes closed as she leaned into the touch, "Thanks, Rae."

"I love you." Raven whispered.

"I love you too." Chelsea opened her eyes to find Raven's own staring back at her.

"You and the kids...you are my world though, you know that don't you?" She worriedly inquired.

"I know." Raven nodded. "...'Cause you and the kids are mine. We're...a unit, a family. You and I are great together, but...I also know that every once in awhile, we need a little piece of the world we create that we can just call our own."

Chelsea smiled at Raven. The woman never ceased to amaze her. She loves how Raven "_gets"_ her.

"Chels...I…" Raven nervously trailed off.

"What?" Chelsea let out a little laugh at Raven's cute hesitation.

Raven was happy with the fact that her best friend was feeling better, "Do you know that when you're a...redecorating a room, or...sketching the design for it...you get this...this beautiful glow all over your face and your eyes they...sparkle."

Chelsea blushed, "No they don't." She dismissed the compliment with a giggle and a wave of her hand.

Raven smiled, "As our kids would say, 'yes, huh'." She teased. They shared a knowing smirk.

Raven reached over to once again take Chelsea's free hand in her own. She looked down at their interlocked hands, a smirk graced her lips as she soothingly ran soft circles across Chelsea's with her thumbs, "Now, I am not telling what to do...I'm just merely putting something out there, but...how would you feel about maybe...pursuing a career in interior design?"

"What? Rae, no. I'm not good enough. The kids room is one thing but…"

"Chels, you are more than good. First off, you have made some awesome looking rooms for our kids with a super limited budget." Raven's eyes went wide. "Super limited."

Chelsea nodded her head in agreement. "Oh yeah, super limited...super."

They caught each other's eyes and let out a laugh at their antics as they lovingly bumped their foreheads together for a brief moment.

"And your sketches are amazing. I don't do interior design, but I've worked at a design house and...although I was in the clothing department, you...your work is great."

"You really think I could do this?" Chelsea's voice was filled with excitement.

"I know you can. What do you say we boost up your resume? Maybe put a design book together for you?"

"Materials are expensive, Rae." Chelsea shook her head. "I'm fine with just looking for work at different retail shops and restaurants for now."

"Chels, don't let money hold you back. I have that ten thousand dollars from when I sold Liz Anya my design. We could delve into that and maybe...I don't know...we could do this together. I gotta get my feet wet too...I think I've just been scared to take a leap of faith."

"I can't let you use your money on me like that."

"This would be as much for me as it is for you. I've never owned a business before. You have. You are so much more than you give yourself credit for. You can do this. We could each design. You spaces and me clothing."

Chelsea shook her head, "I don't know, Rae...it's...it could go really wrong."

"Or it could go really right...somethings are worth putting yourself out there for."

Chelsea smiled brightly, "Are we...are we doing this?"

Raven enthusiastically nodded her head, "We're really doing this." She squealed as she and Chelsea shared a hug. They pulled away, both with bright smiles.

"Have I ever told you how much I love these?" Chelsea tenderly passed her finger over one of Raven's dimples.

Now it was Raven's turn to blush as she shyly turned her gaze away. Chelsea chuckled at the action as she leaned into Raven one more time and rested her head against her chest. The brunette's arms instantly hugged her best friend.

"It's late." Chelsea eyes started to sleepily close as she lovingly played with the ends of Raven's hair.

"It is." A yawn escaped the brunette as her hand drew lazy circles along Chelsea's arm.

"Want to go to bed?" Chelsea asked, as per their usual routine.

Raven just nodded. Her eyes were heavy and she just really wanted to stay right where she was at, but she'd do whatever the redheaded beauty in her arms would ask of her.

"Rae?"

"Hmmm."

"Can I sleep in your bed?"

"Mmm hmmm."

"And can we cuddle together?" Chelsea asked. She had a rough night. She loved laying her head on Raven's chest and hearing her heartbeat. It soothed her.

"...'Course." Came the mumbled reply.

A sleepy smile graced Chelsea's features, "Rae?"

"Hmmm."

"We're never going to make it to our room tonight, are we?"

Raven chuckled as she hugged Chelsea a little tighter, "Probably not."

The redhead giggled as she buried her head deeper into Raven's chest. Raven reached behind her and pulled the blanket that she had been using earlier that night and covered her and Chelsea.

"This is nice." She hummed.

Chelsea nodded in agreement, "Night Rae."

"Night Chels."

"I love you." Chelsea whispered after a few quiet minutes, but no response came from the woman that was holding her in her arms. The redhead pulled back a little to watch Raven's soft steady breaths, signaling she was fast asleep. A small smile tugged at her lips. Maybe Raven was right…

"Somethings are worth putting yourself out there for." She whispered to herself as she leaned in and pecked the corner of Raven's soft lips.

Another smile appeared on her face as she leaned back into Raven's chest and slowly fell asleep to the soothing beat of her best friend's heart.

* * *

**A/N 2: This is one of my two first fanfictions, the other is for a different fandom. So, I am sorry for any mistakes I am making. Truly. Please don't kill for me the last chapter and this one. I tried to put a little clue in the last chapter, or a few clues. Raven said she had been dreaming of the night Chelsea rejected her, then that she didn't want to relive it in her flesh, then she had been dreading Chelsea's date with Brian all week. Also, another couple of things: The yoga mat in her dream was a purple one (see last chapter). The episode where Chelsea has them all working out on the roof, the mat that Raven was going to use was purple. ** **Chelsea's was blue. **

**I made the color in the last chapter be purple because I'd like to think Raven's subconscious wants Chelsea to reciprocate her feelings and imagines Chelsea secretly wanting things that remind her of Raven, or that smell like Raven, etc. Then in this chapter, instead of making the yoga mat by the door blue (as the one Chelsea used on the Raven's Home episode was blue), I made it magenta because in the last episode that aired on TV a few days ago I was pleased to see that there was a yoga mat sitting in basket by their front door, it so happened to be a magenta one (which was the one assigned to Booker in the episode where they were all on the roof). **

**Maybe Chelsea's character has several ones throughout the apartment that she uses? :) Thanks for reading and putting up with this newbie fanfiction writer. Slow burn still going strong.**


	6. Chapter 6

**DIsclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**Trigger warning: Small hint of domestic violence.**

**Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.**

* * *

Raven's eyes roved towards the GPS map on her cell phone, which was perched upon the holder that sat atop her dashboard. She eased her way towards the curb and slowed the car so her Scüt passenger could exit her vehicle.

"Thank you." The man spoke as he stepped out of Raven's car. Raven nodded with a smile as he shut the door behind him. She quickly brought her hands up towards her mouth and blew on them, the cold air from her Scüt customer opening the door had caught her by surprise.

It was mid November in Chicago and she was cold. She adjusted the temperature in her car to be a few degrees warmer, enjoying the feel of the heat as it warmed her exposed face and hands. "_Dan"_ had been her first client of the day, but she quickly decided that he would also be her last. She was cold and wanted to go home to Chelsea. With that last thought in mind, she looked at her side mirror to make sure no traffic was coming and slowly eased back onto the main road and towards their apartment.

If she was being honest with herself, she wanted to do a lot more with Chelsea than just go home to her. She wanted to be able to tell Chelsea the truth of how she felt for the woman. She wanted to have long weekends away with her, and sit downs in front of the fireplace of a rented cabin, hot cider or hot chocolates long forgotten on a nearby table while she and her favorite redhead would make love to each other. She shook her head from the daydream and sighed about the fact that that's all it would ever be...a dream.

* * *

"Yes, thank you!" Chelsea excitedly answered the woman on the other line.

"Ummm, would four o'clock this afternoon be too late?" Chelsea asked with trepidation. She wanted to make sure Raven would also be available. She had a good feeling about today.

The woman responded and Chelsea's face broke out into the biggest smile, "Thank you so much...yes...see you this afternoon." She hung up the phone and did a little victory dance, she stopped when she heard a chuckle behind her.

"Rae?" Another huge smile plastered on her face when she caught sight of the brunette in the doorway of their apartment. "What are you doing home so early?"

Raven mocked frowned at the question as she hooked her thumb behind her, "I could leave if…"

Chelsea quickly shook her head, "No, I...I missed you." She shyly admitted. It was only a little after ten in the morning, and Raven had only been gone a little under two hours, but she realized her statement was nothing but true.

Raven smiled at the redhead as she decided to skip hanging her coat and hat up by the door. Her body still carried the cold air from the walk upstairs. Instead, she made her way further into their apartment and towards their kitchen to see if there was a fresh pot of coffee ready to go.

"Are you cold?" Chelsea worriedly questioned as Raven made her way passed her. It was uncharacteristic for Raven not to shed her coat and hat as soon as she walked in the door.

Raven gave her a soft smile, "A little." She admitted as she took out their can of ground coffee and searched for the filters to place one in the machine.

"New filter is already in the machine." Chelsea knowingly advised even as she made her way towards the brunette and took the coffee can from her and sat it on the counter.

She pulled Raven into a hug and rubbed her hands up and down the woman's back and arms in hopes of warming her up.

"Sit...I got this." She whispered into the brunette's ear. Raven closed her eyes at the action and swallowed thickly, her core not feeling cold anymore.

Chelsea pulled back with a smile as she held onto Raven's arms, "Your nose is red." She playfully smirked as she booped it with her finger, "And cold." She giggled.

Raven rolled her eyes at the action, but secretly enjoyed the gesture.

"Sit." Chelsea ordered with a wink, having caught the smirk Raven was trying to hide. She pushed Raven towards one of the barstools in front of their kitchen's serving window and went back to start a pot of the dark brew the brunette was so desperately seeking.

"I was cold." Raven whispered as she watched Chelsea effortlessly buzz around their kitchen.

Chelsea, who was currently scooping coffee into their machine, furrowed her eyebrows at Raven's statement as she looked over at her friend, "Huh?"

Raven giggled, "Why I came home early? I was cold."

Chelsea nodded as she gave Raven a guilty smile.

"Hey, why that look?" Raven tenderly asked.

Chelsea shrugged, "I don't like that you have to go to a job you clearly despise." She hated that Raven had to go out in this weather every day to help them make ends meet.

"Chels, stop. If I knew I was going to get you all sad like this I would've stayed at work. I hate to see you sad. Truth is, yes…I was cold, but that led me to think of you and how much I missed you. You're very warm and cuddly."

A small smile broke across Chelsea's features as she finished preparing Raven's cup of coffee and placed it in front of the brunette, "I still hate that you have to go."

"Hey…" Raven gently held onto Chelsea's hand before she could let go of the mug that was sat in front of her, "...did I mention I missed you?"

They shared a knowing smirk. Raven let go of the redhead's hand and brought the hot, caffeinated goodness to her lips. She let the steam from the cup waft over her lips and nose. She closed her eyes at the delicious smell and couldn't help but moan a little as a warm feeling settled over her.

Chelsea's breath hitched at the sound that escaped Raven.

"I um…" She stuttered as she tried to pull Raven back to present day, the woman was taking sips of the newly prepared hot beverage. Small moans and whimpers continued to emanate from her with every gulp.

"...set up a meeting for us today at four…to…" Chelsea tried to continue, but her mind was betraying her as she pictured what Raven would look like naked and spread across her bed, making _**those**_ noises.

"Hmmm." Raven finished swallowing, her attention fully on a very flushed looking Chelsea, "You okay?" She worriedly asked.

"Yeah, uh...is it hot in here?" She fanned herself and looked around the room, as if that would indicate why she was burning up all of a sudden.

Raven furrowed her eyebrows and let out a chuckle, "No."

Chelsea just nodded.

"What's the meeting about?" Raven curiously asked as she brought the coffee up to her mouth again to enjoy another desperate sip, her tongue darted out to lick away remnants of the dark beverage from her lips.

"Location." Chelsea husked out, her eyes trained on the way Raven's lips puckered to blow on the steaming liquid in her cup before drinking. Her mind wandered again to those same soft lips puckering, blowing and sucking at her currently moist core. She imagined how the brunette's tongue would slowly snake it's way to her…

"Earth to Chels." Raven playfully waved a hand in front of her friend.

"Huh?" Chelsea shook her head at the image of Raven pleasuring her. Her best friend, Raven, pleasuring her. She didn't know what was going on with her lately, but she kept fantasizing about her best friend. Raven. Pleasuring her. Alot.

Raven smiled, "Location for what?"

"Oh, uh...our new place of business."

"Really?" Raven couldn't hold her excitement.

Chelsea giggled at the woman's enthusiasm, "It's within our budget, seems to be a nice size, and in the business district part of town...so, fingers crossed." She made the implied gesture with her hands.

Raven let out a happy squeal as she mimicked the woman's crossed fingers and met them with a light tap. They shared a knowing smile.

"I know we don't have the place yet, but I have a good feeling about this one." Chelsea advised.

They had been to see several locations in the last month or so. The affordable ones were always too small and needed a lot of repairs, one didn't even have a working bathroom. The owner had implied that since Raven and Chelsea "_only" _lived thirty minutes away, they could commute to use their own facilities at home. And the locations that were move in ready, as in they could at least use a toilet onsite, were always too expensive.

Raven sighed just thinking about the bad luck they'd had so far and hoped Chelsea was right about this place. She once again brought her coffee mug up to her mouth.

Cheslea didn't think she could stand another moan or whimper so she excused herself to go take a shower and get ready for this afternoon's meeting.

Raven smiled as the redhead walked off towards the hall. Watching Chelsea's ass always brought a smile to her face, and today's jeans had her smiling from ear to ear. Raven finished her coffee, placed the mug in the sink, finally shed her coat and her hat, and decided to sit in front of the TV for a while. It was rare that she would get to be home at this time. She put on one of her favorite TV Judge shows and watched on low volume.

* * *

Chelsea made her way from their bedroom, where she had been picking out her clothes, to the bathroom. She would normally shower and then dress in their room, but mid-November was not the month to do that in. It was cold and the steam of the shower while getting dressed was better than the cold draft of their apartment, that had caught her off guard the first few weeks of living in Chicago, even with their central heater turned on.

She rolled her eyes when she heard Raven watching her favorite TV Judge. She really didn't get what the brunette saw in him. To each his own, she supposed.

She closed the bathroom's door and placed her clothes on top of a small cabinet they kept in the corner. It was filled with most of their beauty products and toiletries. They bought the cabinet when the kids started carelessly using their bathroom supplies. They figured if the kids didn't find it in the shower, they wouldn't bother preparing and picking out their products beforehand, which meant less waste and less spending money for her and Raven. So far, so good.

She reached inside and picked up the lavender and honey body wash. It was Raven's signature go to and she secretly felt the need to smell it while she showered today. She pulled back the shower curtain and placed the wash on the tub's edge, but not before opening the top and taking a deep whiff. Still standing outside of the tub, she started to run the water till she got it to a comfortable temperature. She pulled the knob for the shower's spray to start as she eased out of her clothes and threw them into their hamper.

She turned her naked body towards their mirror and allowed her eyes to travel the length of it. Anger briefly flashed across her features at the sight of a particular scar just below her rib cage. She closed her eyes and brought her hand up to it. She hesitantly passed her fingers over it. The slightly raised, rough flesh caused her to swallow thickly as her mind flooded with the memory of how it got there in the first place. She shook her head and decided to hop in the shower, no longer wanting to think of that particular day.

She allowed the steam from the shower to envelope her. She got under the water's stream and began to soak her hair and her body. She reached for the shampoo and squirted a few dollops onto the palm of her hand. She allowed the spray from the shower to coat her hand as well before plunging them both into her red locks. She closed her eyes and reveled at the feel of the warm water and suds that formed at the ministrations of her own hands. She rinsed off the shampoo and quickly followed with some conditioner.

With her hair all cleaned, only thing left was her body. Her eyes darted to the body wash that sat just a few feet away. She had known her intentions when she had picked the wash from the cabinet, but her mind, her heart, and her body all waged a war against each other. She wasn't sure why. They all wanted the same thing, but there was a sense of guilt that accompanied those feelings. There was also a sense of fear. However, in the private confines of their Chicago apartment's bathroom, she quickly pushed all those feelings aside and continued a song and dance she had repeated one too many times in the past few weeks.

Her arm reached up and turned the dial on the shower head to allow the spray's motion to come out harder, louder, and with a more direct stream. She closed her eyes and leaned her back against the wall, allowing her face and body to stay temporarily out of the way of the spraying water.

Her right hand began just above her right breast, open palm down as it slowly passed over a wet, protruding nipple. It slowed at the pert nub, and she allowed her fingers to slowly circle and pinch it till it became impossibly hard and enlarged. The continued carresses caused a pleasurable sense of pain, like pins and needles. The cold air that was now circling her body, since she was no longer under the spray of the shower's warm water, only enhanced it. She let her left hand join the party and made sure that her left breast matched her right.

She moaned as her hands eagerly traveled south, her breasts still hard, she let them meet the shower's hard stream as she threw her head back, "Uuuhhh..."

She whimpered as deft, well practiced fingers found their place just in front of her warm, wet, pulsating core. She allowed her fingers to pull at and get loss within the soft curls now covered in her own juices. She bit down on her lips as she allowed her left hand to continue it's assault on her breasts while her right hand taunted her throbbing entrance.

Her eyes still closed, she arched her back so that her center would come in contact with shaky fingers. As another moan escaped her, she pictured someone else's hands caressing her body, "Raven…" She whimpered at the name that so easily dropped from her lips. Temporary feelings of guilt resurfaced, but she quickly ignored them.

She bit down on her lip because she couldn't trust herself to keep quiet once those same fingers made it passed her moistened, heated center and passed her aching folds.

"Please…" She husked to herself, her mind lost in the moment. More images of her raven haired goddess being the one touching her.

"Please…" She cried again as her left arm traveled above her head and expertly loosened the detachable shower head. She brought the rough stream to her entrance. With well practiced ease she spread her legs and allowed the water to make contact with her core. Her right hand separated her slick folds, while her thumb found her clit. The experienced finger began with long, languid strokes but soon fell in rhythm with Chelsea's gyrating hips. The rough stream of water from the shower's head and the new pattern of soft circles on her clit, caused the woman's back to arch and her head to eventually drop forward.

"Oh, Raven...Raven...Raven…" She arched back and forth.

"Raven…" Eyes closed, she bit down hard as explosive pulses ran through her body, "Fuck." An unlikely curse word escaped her as she rode out the orgasm that had taken over her body.

Her body went limp and she dropped the detachable shower head. She used her now weak hands to hold herself up against the cold tiled shower wall behind her as she tried to regain control of her breathing. After several minutes, she opened her eyes and they once again darted to the lavender and honey body wash that sat just a few feet away on the edge of the porcelain tub.

She swallowed thickly as the same feelings of guilt and fear made their presence known once again. She pushed them back, as per her usual song and dance, replaced the shower head back on it's holder, grabbed the bath sponge, and her new favorite body wash and proceeded to clean herself off and get ready for the day.

* * *

When the second segment of the Judge show Raven was watching concluded, she worriedly furrowed her eyebrows towards the hall of their apartment. Chelsea had been in the shower for a while now. She thought of going to check on her, but was worried because of the last time she had come home early.

That day she heard the shower running, after forty five minutes had passed without any signs of Chelsea and the water still running, she was worried the beautiful redhead had fallen or injured herself somehow so she went to knock and make sure everything was okay.

As she approached the door, she heard loud moans coming from the other side, which made her even more worried. She quickly ran into the bathroom and called the redhead's name, only to visibly see a startled Chelsea jump behind their lightly shaded curtain. Chelsea advised she was fine and Raven quickly figured out what the redhead had been doing.

Raven's own showers took on a different meaning from then on, and so did her dreams about the redhead. Chelsea had acted quiet for the rest of that day, and the following one, clearly embarrassed at the fact that Raven had caught her pleasuring herself. Raven didn't want her best friend to ever feel that way again and has been careful to respect Chelsea's private bathroom time since then. Besides, there was absolutely nothing wrong with a young, beautiful woman pleasuring herself.

Before Raven's mind could wander any further, a freshly showered Chelsea appeared in the living room.

"What are you smiling about?" Chelsea asked with an amused smirk. Raven looked absolutely adorable on their coach, clearly lost in a daydream.

Raven's head nervously snapped back to the present at the sound of Chelsea's voice, "Nu..nothing." She stuttered out, her cheeks a soft shade of pink.

Chelsea chuckled at her lying best friend, but didn't pay it any mind. _Can't be any worse than what you just did in the bathroom._

"Rae?" Chelsea looked at her friend pensively.

"Yeah?" Raven asked, noticing Chelsea looked unsure of herself.

Chelsea took her place next to Raven on the couch and tapped her thigh, the brunette's senses were invaded almost immediately and she did all she could to keep her eyes open and her mind focused on the words coming out of the redhead's mouth. Because, oh did Chelea smell delicious.

"I know we haven't gotten the place yet, but...I want to celebrate. Now. Put some good karma out there, you know. Power of positive thinking and all that."

Raven smiled, Chelsea was usually the one to limit their fun and worry about their budget, "Okay, what do you propose we do?"

Chelsea pursed her lips, because she thought about a million and one ways to '_have fun' _with Raven, but none that she could voice out loud. She settled for, "I've lived in Chicago three years now and I've never experienced the ice ribbon yet. They opened it up a few days ago. Please…" She nervously bit her lip. Raven had been cold earlier, and she also hated ice skating, so she wasn't sure how it would go over with the brunette.

Raven let out an uneasy breath, but the look on Chelsea's face was all she needed to cave to her beautiful redhead's demands, "Fine...but I want lots of hot cocoa when we're done." She playfully warned with a pointed finger.

"Deal!" Chelsea squealed with delight as she brought the woman in for a hug.

Raven immediately closed her eyes and indulged in her favorite pastime, silently breathing in Chelsea.

* * *

They had made it to the park, purchased their tickets to the ice ribbon, rented their skates and were now headed to the ribbon itself to enjoy a nice afternoon of ice skating and best friend time.

"Should we feel guilty about being here without the kids?" Chelsea asked. She and Raven were holding hands as they skated around the long pathway. Chelsea slowed slightly so Raven could keep up.

Raven wasn't skating as much as stepping and slipping awkwardly, but she was still being a good sport about it Chelsea noticed.

"What kids?" Raven teased, her breath slightly ragged because of the skating and the wintery weather. Her lungs were on fire from the cold air, but she trudged forward because Chelsea was smiling and having a good time and she loved to see Chelsea having genuine fun.

Chelsea chuckled, "Rae!" She playfully chastised.

"Come on, Chels. They cramp our style sometimes. You know it's true."

Chelsea let out a bellowed laugh as she shook her head at her best friend, "What am I going to do with you Raven Lydia Baxter?" She teasingly slapped Raven's arm.

The action caused Raven to lose her footing. Her arms flared in the air as she tried to regain her balance, but it was to no avail.

Chelsea looked horrified as she reached out to try to catch Raven, but the only thing she managed was for Raven to take her down with her.

Raven's rear landed with a grunt as she fell backwards onto the cold, hard ice path. A second grunt followed when the petite redhead she had a crush on landed on top of her.

"Rae, I'm so sorry." Chelsea's eyes frantically and worriedly searched Raven's face. The brunette's eyes were tightly shut and her brow was furrowed, clearly the fall had hurt.

Chelsea swallowed thickly when soft amber eyes finally opened to meet her own. The sun's light reflected off of them and allowed Raven's orbs to reflect honey colored flecks.

"I'm sorry." Chelsea whispered.

Despite a slightly sore rear end, and her pride, Raven couldn't help but tenderly smile at Chelsea. Her red locks had fallen forward and she looked impossibly beautiful against the backdrop of the winter foliage.

Chelsea's eyes dropped to Raven's red, swollen lips, likely due to the cold, before once again landing on those gorgeous brown orbs. She swallowed thickly and fought every instinct to inch closer and kiss the brunette, "You okay?" She whispered.

Raven could only nod. She felt her mind was playing tricks on her, because she could've sworn that Chelsea wanted to kiss her. Her own lips ached with want to finally feel Chelsea's on her own. On instinct, her head raised slightly, Chelsea inched closer…

"Watch out!"

They both heard a third voice warn and turned to face its owner, another skater barrelling towards them. He frantically tried to stop with the ends of the blades on his skates, but was not having any luck.

Ravens' eyes went wide. She pulled Chelsea down closer to her own body and rolled them out of the way. The skater just missed them, a faint 'sorry' was heard as he whizzed by.

Chelsea was flush against the floor, her breathing labored as Raven's body protectively hovered above her.

Raven looked down at a scared Chelsea, "Chels?" She questioned as she went to touch the redhead's cheek to gain her attention.

Chelsea flinched away and closed her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please. I'm sorry."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows at the action, "Chels? It's me...Raven."

The redhead's eyes opened slowly and Raven frowned at the teary eyed woman that stared back at her.

"Hey you." Raven tenderly whispered. "You're okay. Alright? You're okay." She gently wiped a tear that had escaped the woman's eye. Chelsea only nodded.

Raven rolled them back over, so Chelsea was on top. Maybe her pinning Chelsea down had scared her. She was sure whatever this was it had to do with Garrett. Another mental note to try to beat the ever living shit out of him when she saw him again was made.

"Better?" Raven asked, her voice soft.

Chelsea nodded again as her eyes nervously darted around.

Raven tenderly tucked some hair behind the woman's ear, "Chels?"

The woman blinked a few times and finally caught Raven's worried gaze. Raven smiled when she visibly noticed Chelsea, her Chelsea, come back to her, "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just...got scared for a minute." Her voice was low, wary, but she was back with Raven, in the present. Raven gave her a small smile.

The brunette awkwardly cleared her throat after a few minutes when Chelsea made no movements to stand up.

Chelsea's face blushed as she realized the position they were in, "Sorry." She mumbled as she started to get up. She reached her hand out and helped her best friend climb to her feet.

"Want to keep skating, or go home?" Raven asked as she dusted off her backside. The action only reminding her of how much pain her butt was in.

Chelsea gave her a rueful smile.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." Raven tried to reassure.

Chelsea raised her eyebrows incredulously at the statement, "You can tell me the truth Rae."

"If it did, would you kiss it and make it better?" As soon as the words left her mouth Raven's eyes opened wide when she realized what she had said, "I didn't mean…"

"I would absolutely kiss it and make it better." Chelsea whispered as she grabbed Raven's hand in her own and gave her a reassuring smile.

Raven let out a nervous chuckle at the statement as she swallowed thickly.

Chelsea smirked at the clearly flustered Raven, "You're cute when your flustered. Now come on...I owe you a hot chocolate, and we have a business to start today." She stated as she grabbed Raven's right arm and hugged her close while leading her to the handrail and towards the exit to find the nearest hot chocolate stand.


End file.
